T'way Air, a South Korean low-cost carrier, said Tuesday it will begin introducing three A330-300 chartered planes late this year to prepare for the post coronavirus era.

T'way Air plans to inject the three A330-300s into mid- and long-haul international routes to Kyrgyzstan, Australia and Croatia, the company said in a statement.

The budget carrier has 27 B737-800 chartered planes and currently serves six international routes and six domestic routes. It served 47 international and three domestic routes in January last year.

T'way Air suspended most of its international routes in March as countries strengthened their entry restrictions amid virus fears.

For the whole of 2020, its net losses deepened to 137.87 billion won ($124 million) from 43.21 billion won a year earlier.

In October, the company began using two B737-800s to carry cargo on the Incheon-Ho Chi Minh City route as travel demand dried up.

It plans to place the cargo, such as textiles and electronic parts, on the seats of the two B737-800s, and it will consider utilizing more passenger jets for cargo delivery depending on market conditions. (Yonhap)