Eastar Air Introduces Fourth Aircraft 'B737-8'

Eastar Jet announced on the 30th that its fourth aircraft has completed all preliminary work for commercial flights and arrived at Gimpo International Airport on the evening of the 29th.

Eastar Jet's fourth aircraft departed from Tucson Airport in Arizona, USA on the 14th, stopped at Anchorage International Airport in the USA and New Chitose Airport in Japan, and arrived at Gimpo Airport on the 17th. Subsequently, on the 21st, it obtained an airworthiness certificate through an airworthiness flight for aircraft safety inspection. From the 26th to the 29th, the exterior painting work was completed, and the aircraft arrived at Gimpo Airport for commercial deployment.

Eastar Jet's fourth aircraft (HL8541) is a Boeing next-generation aircraft model B737-8. The B737-8 model is the next-generation version of the currently operated B737NG model, with similar operation methods and systems, enabling efficient flight training and maintenance operations. Fuel efficiency has improved by more than 15%, extending the flight range to 6,670 km, which is 1,140 km longer than the 737NG. Due to its high fuel efficiency, it is recognized as a highly efficient and eco-friendly aircraft with reduced fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

Eastar Jet was the first in Korea to introduce the B737-8 aircraft in 2019 and deployed it on medium-haul routes such as Southeast Asia, confirming about a 20% fuel savings effect. Starting with the fourth aircraft, Eastar Jet plans to increase the number of B737-8 aircraft to four by the end of the year, raising the proportion of next-generation aircraft.

From the 1st of next month, Eastar Jet will deploy the fourth aircraft on the Gimpo-Jeju route. It will operate 12 round trips daily with three existing B737-800 aircraft. The Gimpo-Jeju route, which previously supplied 4,536 seats per day, will increase by three round trips per day to operate 105 round trips weekly, expanding daily seat supply to 5,670 seats.

An Eastar Jet official said, “With the introduction of new aircraft, we will increase domestic flights to help alleviate the supply shortage on the Jeju route during the summer vacation season,” and added, “Along with the introduction of the fifth and sixth aircraft, we plan to further increase domestic flights such as operating the Cheongju-Jeju route in August, and will officially launch international flights starting with the Gimpo-Taiwan (Songshan) route in September.”