Low-cost Jeju Air expanding flights to fuel growth

Low-cost carrier Jeju Air is focusing its energy this year on creating a foundation for strong, sustainable growth by expanding its fleet and flights, the Aekyung Group-owned airline said Friday.

Last month, the airline added three new destinations to its portfolio including Sapporo in Japan, Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia, and Phuket in Thailand. The addition of flights to Sapporo gives Jeju Air the largest number of Korea-Japan routes among low-cost carriers in both countries.

A Jeju Air plane (Jeju Air)

Jeju Air is also increasing flights on popular routes including Incheon-Tokyo, Incheon-Weihai and domestic flights connecting Gimpo International Airport and Incheon International Airport to Jeju Island to increase profitability.

To service the additional routes, Jeju Air added three new planes to its fleet this year. One more aircraft is expected to join the fleet before the end of the year, bringing Jeju Air’s count to 26 planes.

“We will quickly set the groundwork for sustainable growth by expanding our fleet, servicing new destinations and increasing flights on existing popular routes,” a spokesman for Jeju Air said.

By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)