Asiana Airlines' net loss widens in Q2 on rising fuel costs

An Asiana Airlines plane takes off from Incheon International Airport, Jan. 14. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Asiana Airlines Inc. said Thursday its net loss widened in the second quarter from a year earlier, hit by rising fuel costs and a weaker Korean currency.

The second-quarter net loss stood at 328.6 billion won ($231 million), compared with a loss of 233.2 billion won for the same quarter last year, the company said in a statement.

Asiana Airlines also posted an operating loss of 295.1 billion won in the second quarter. Sales fell 7.7 percent on-year to 1.54 trillion won.

This week, shareholders of Asiana Airlines approved the airline's merger with larger rival Korean Air Co., wrapping up nearly six years of the latter's acquisition process.