The finish line is in sight for Korean Air’s Asiana acquisition

Korean Air appears close to finally gaining all the clearances it needs for its takeover of Asiana Airlines, which would signal the end of a four-year journey through a regulatory maze involving multiple jurisdictions.

Competition authorities in several countries have weighed in on the effects of the merger in their markets, and in many cases they have raised concerns.

Korean Air has patiently worked its way through these processes, agreeing to the concessions needed to address any objections.

The regulatory scrutiny took much longer than expected, but the process is now essentially finished, prompting Korean Air to set a date for closing the acquisition.

While this would mark the end of one phase, it also represents the start of the lengthy and complex task of merging the two airlines' fleets and operations.