- Star Alliance to open dedicated lounge at Seoul Incheon
- Existing Asiana Business Lounge West to transition
- Operations due to begin in fourth quarter of 2026
- Asiana Airlines confirmed departure from Star Alliance on 16 December
- Fourteen Star Alliance member airlines operate at Incheon
Star Alliance and Incheon International Airport Corporation have signed a memorandum of understanding to open a dedicated Star Alliance lounge at Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport. The move addresses a gap that has been looming since Asiana Airlines confirmed its departure from Star Alliance on 16 December as its integration with Korean Air moves forward. Until now, eligible Star Alliance passengers travelling through Incheon have had access to Asiana’s three lounges pre-boarding.
Under the agreement, the existing Asiana Airlines Business Lounge West in Terminal 1 is expected to transition into the new Star Alliance lounge with operations due to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026, timed to coincide with Asiana’s exit from the group. The current West lounge on departure level four offers a buffet dining area, a bar, private work desks and shower facilities. The alliance has not confirmed whether it will rebrand the existing facilities as-is or refurbish before opening.
The Incheon facility will become the seventh Star Alliance-branded lounge worldwide, joining existing locations such as Paris Charles De Gaulle, Los Angeles International and Guangzhou Baiyun. Fourteen Star Alliance member airlines currently operate at Incheon, connecting passengers to 29 destinations. Oneworld opened its first-ever branded lounge at Incheon Terminal 1 in January 2024, a roughly 555 square metre space serving seven oneworld carriers operating at the airport. SkyTeam still has no dedicated alliance-branded lounge of its own at Incheon, with its members using Korean Air’s Prestige and Miler Club lounges at Terminal 2.
Kim Chang-gyu, Chief Operation Officer at IIAC, shared: “This agreement is part of our efforts to provide stable and high-quality services to passengers using Incheon Airport amid major changes, including the integration of Asiana Airlines and Korean Air.”
