SEOUL– Air Premia Co., a South Korean budget carrier, said Friday it will open its first outbound passenger route next month as travel demand recovers amid eased COVID-19 virus curbs.
Air Premia will begin providing flights on the Incheon-Singapore route June 29 and offer three flights per week starting July 1, the company said in a statement.
“We are considering expanding passenger flights on the routes to Los Angeles, Hawaii, Vietnam, Thailand, Europe and the eastern states of the United States depending on demand,” it said.
Air Premia began passenger-carrying services on the domestic Gimpo-Jeju route in August, one month after it obtained government approval for offering commercial flight services.
But it has transported only cargo on the international routes from Incheon to Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok and Kyrgyzstan as there has been no passenger travel demand due to the pandemic.
It currently operates a 309-seat B787-9 passenger jet and plans to add three more B787-9 planes to its fleet by the end of this year. It aims to increase the number of chartered planes to 10 by 2024.
South Korea has two full-service carriers — Korean Air Lines Co. and Asiana Airlines Inc. — and 10 low-cost carriers, including Jeju Air, Jin Air, Air Busan Co., Air Seoul Inc., Eastar Jet, T’way, Fly Gangwon, Air Premia and Air Incheon Co.
Air Incheon is a cargo-focused carrier, and the nine other low-cost ones are passenger carriers.
Source: Yonhap News Agency