A grassroots campaign is underway in Busan, South Korea, to lock in that city's airport as the headquarters of a new "integrated" low-cost subsidiary of Korean Air (KE, Seoul Incheon). Proposed in 2021 and still to be finalised, the move would see Air Busan, Air Seoul, and Jin Air merge to become one carrier.

That merger is a by-product of the proposed merger between Korean Air and Asiana Airlines (OZ, Seoul Incheon). Air Busan and Air Seoul are subsidiaries of Asiana while Jin Air is a Korean Air subsidiary. Once the proposed merger of the two parent airlines is complete, the three budget carriers would become Korean Air subsidiaries and that airline wants to fold them into a single operating brand.

As reported in Korean news outlets, the Gimhae Airport Hub Airport Citizen Promotion Team in Busan held a media conference on March 13 to publicise their efforts to secure the southern city as the headquarters. Air Busan is currently based in the city, Air Seoul in the capital, and Jin...