One in Four Flights Delayed... Frequent Delays in LCCs

Aircraft Delays Total 114,948 This Year
Most LCCs at 30% Range
Korean Air and Asiana at 17-26%

Rep. Antaejun: "Systematic Improvements Needed for Airlines with Frequent Delays"

Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 Duty-Free Zone Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

One out of every four domestic and international flights this year experienced delays. In particular, low-cost carriers (LCCs) recorded high delay rates, with 'Air Seoul international flights' having a delay rate of 43.6% and 'Eastar Jet international flights' at 37.2%.

According to the 'Aircraft Delay Status by Airline over the Past 5 Years' obtained by the office of Ahn Tae-jun, a member of the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, through the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 21st, Air Seoul showed the highest delay rate among domestic carriers from January to July this year, with 2,476 delayed flights (43.6%) out of a total of 5,678 international flights.

The main causes of delays were connection issues with 1,505 cases, followed by airport and immigration procedure problems with 543 cases, and air traffic flow issues with 187 cases. Air Seoul also showed a high delay rate of 36.3% on domestic flights, with 812 delays out of 2,240 flights.

The second highest delay rate among domestic carriers was Eastar Jet international flights, with 1,979 delayed flights (37.2%) out of 5,318 total flights. Eastar Jet's domestic flights experienced delays in 3,993 out of 17,377 flights, resulting in a 23.0% delay rate.

Other LCC airlines such as T'way Air (domestic 34.6%, international 31.5%) and Jin Air (domestic 27.1%, international 33.8%) mostly showed delay rates exceeding 30%. The largest domestic carriers, Korean Air (domestic 17.3%, international 24.6%) and Asiana Airlines (domestic 17.0%, international 25.6%), recorded delay rates around 17-26%.

The airlines with the lowest delay rates among domestic carriers were Air Busan (domestic 10.4%, international 15.6%) and Aero K (domestic 9.8%, international 20.4%), while foreign airlines operating only international flights showed an average delay rate of 22.2%.

Assemblyman Ahn Tae-jun pointed out, "There is a need for institutional improvements such as strengthened management and supervision by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for airlines with frequent delays," adding, "It is urgent to establish measures to improve the quality of air services, including systematizing compensation manuals for damages caused by delays."