Jin Air, No.1 Domestic Airline Passenger Volume for 2 Consecutive Months

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] Jin Air has ranked first in passenger numbers (monthly basis) among domestic airlines for two consecutive months.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Aviation Information Portal System on the 4th, the total number of passengers who used Jin Air's domestic and international flights last month was 942,226. This marks the fourth time, following August and November of last year and January of this year.

The airlines following Jin Air in passenger numbers were Jeju Air (914,159), T'way Air (732,048), Air Busan (659,296), Korean Air (655,371), Asiana Airlines (539,077), and Air Seoul (245,627), in that order.

Over the past three months, among the eight domestic airlines, low-cost carriers (LCCs) such as Jin Air, Jeju Air, and T'way Air have been competing fiercely for the top spot in passenger numbers. In December last year, Jeju Air led with 681,826 passengers, but since January this year (580,007 passengers), Jin Air has maintained the lead in passenger numbers.

A Jin Air official stated, "Strategically expanding domestic routes after the spread of COVID-19 last year appears to have been effective in increasing passenger numbers." Jin Air started the Daegu-Jeju route at the end of April last year and has expanded from four existing domestic routes to a total of 14 routes across 11 cities including Gimpo, Busan, Jeju, Cheongju, Gwangju, Daegu, Yeosu, Pohang, Ulsan, Gunsan, and Wonju.

Last month, Jin Air also ranked first among LCCs in flight operations with a total of 6,148 flights, second only to Korean Air (7,966 flights). Jin Air's flights increased by 49.1% compared to the previous month (4,122 flights), thanks to additional flights during the Lunar New Year holiday period. Following Jin Air were Jeju Air (5,687 flights), Asiana Airlines (5,393 flights), and T'way Air (4,386 flights).

Jin Air has also shown an increasing trend in domestic and international cargo transport over the past three months. Jin Air's cargo volume recorded 3,515 tons in December last year, 3,841 tons in January this year, and 6,066 tons last month. The airline is enhancing the performance of cargo seatbacks (in-cabin cargo bags) to increase cargo capacity on passenger flights.

Meanwhile, the total number of passengers across the eight airlines last month was 4,694,480, down 18.5% compared to the same period last year (5,761,603). The total number of flights was 35,269, a decrease of 27.4% compared to the same period (48,588 flights).