Asiana Airlines mired in the red for first half of 2018

Asiana Airlines, Korea’s second-biggest airline by sales, said Wednesday it swung to a net loss in the first half as a strong won drove up currency losses and fuel costs.

Asiana Airlines reported it was in the red by 54.8 billion won for the January-June period, shifting from a net profit of 21.3 billion won a year earlier, the company said in a statement.

“The airline suffered 72.6 billion won in foreign exchange losses during the first six months due to the won’s strength against the dollar, swinging from foreign exchange gains worth 63.7 billion won a year ago,” an Asiana spokesman said.

Higher jet fuel prices also weighed on first-half results, he said.