Air Premia to Introduce Additional Aircraft by the End of This Month..."Accelerating New Route Launches"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Hyun-seok] Air Premia, Korea's first hybrid airline, announced on the 18th that its second aircraft, scheduled to be introduced domestically at the end of this month, has completed its livery and moved from Shannon Airport in Ireland to Bordeaux Airport in France.

The second aircraft being introduced was manufactured in 2018 and operated by Norwegian Air for about a year and a half. It is a Boeing 787-9 model. Initially, it was planned to be retrofitted with the same 309-seat configuration as the first aircraft. However, due to global supply chain issues, the retrofit is scheduled to take place one year later. Air Premia plans to deploy the newly introduced second aircraft on short- to medium-haul routes such as Southeast Asia and Japan, while focusing the existing first aircraft on long-haul routes such as the Americas.

An Air Premia official stated that although the seat configuration of the second aircraft differs slightly from the first, the same level of service will be provided. Through the introduction of premium economy seats that offer business-class level service at reasonable prices, the airline plans to continuously enhance customer value and expand long-haul routes.

With the introduction of new aircraft, Air Premia is also accelerating the launch of new routes. Currently, reservations for the Incheon-Ho Chi Minh route starting in October are available through Air Premia’s website. Special promotional events for new routes, including exclusive discount vouchers for members, are also underway. Air Premia’s first long-haul route, Incheon-LA, received regular route approval on the 12th and is undergoing final preparations for its October launch. The LA route marks the first time in 31 years since Asiana Airlines in 1991 that a Korean carrier has served this destination, making it the airline’s third route.

Additionally, Air Premia is intensifying its long-haul route strategy by operating charter flights to Turkey in Europe from the 27th of this month to November 12th in partnership with travel agencies. The third aircraft, to be delivered from Boeing, is also expected to be introduced domestically in September as the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) has resumed deliveries of Boeing 787 aircraft. Starting in September, Air Premia will operate a total of three Boeing 787-9 aircraft.

Meanwhile, Air Premia began its first international passenger service on the Incheon-Singapore route on the 15th of last month.