Air Premia

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Air Premia
IATA ICAO Callsign
YP[1] APZ[1] AIR PREMIA
FoundedJuly 27, 2017; 6 years ago (2017-07-27)
Commenced operationsAugust 11, 2021; 2 years ago (2021-08-11)
HubsIncheon International Airport
Fleet size5
Destinations8
HeadquartersSeoul, South Korea
Key peopleKim Jong-chul (Founder)
Yoo Myung-sub (CEO)
Websitewww.airpremia.com

Air Premia, Inc. (Korean: 에어프레미아㈜; RR: eeo peule mia jusik hoesa) is a South Korean airline based in Seoul. It describes itself as a "hybrid airline", providing a higher level of service than low-cost airlines while having lower operating costs than larger, full-service airlines. The airline was founded in 2017 by the former president of Jeju Air, Kim Jong-chul.[2]

History[edit]

Air Premia was established on July 27, 2017, by the ex-president of Jeju Air, Kim Jong-chul.[2] In April 2019, the airline intended to launch in 2020 and lease three Boeing 787-9s from Air Lease Corporation (ALC),[3] but later announced that it had agreed to purchase five.[4] The airline was initially expected to launch with regional routes within Asia, but later intended to operate long-haul routes to Australia and the United States.

In April 2021, Air Premia received its first Boeing 787-9, with plans to operate 10 aircraft by the end of 2024.[5][6] On August 11, 2021, the airline celebrated its inauguration of flights with a domestic service between Seoul and Jeju.[7] Domestic services ended on October 30, 2021, as the airline prepared to transition to exclusively operating international routes.[8] These consisted of a mix of scheduled, chartered, passenger, and dedicated cargo services to destinations in Asia, Europe, and North America.

Destinations[edit]

As of March 2024, Air Premia operates or has operated to the following destinations:

Country City Airport Start date End date Notes Refs
Bangladesh Dhaka Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport October 3, 2023 Present Charter [9][10]
Germany Frankfurt Frankfurt Airport June 27, 2023 December 20, 2023 Terminated [11][12]
Japan Tokyo Narita International Airport December 23, 2022 Present [13]
Norway Oslo Oslo Airport, Gardermoen May 11, 2023 Present Charter [14]
Singapore Singapore Changi Airport December 24, 2021 March 26, 2023 Terminated [15][16]
South Korea Jeju Jeju International Airport August 11, 2021 October 30, 2021 Terminated [7][8]
Seoul Gimpo International Airport August 11, 2021 October 30, 2021 Terminated [7][8]
Incheon International Airport December 24, 2021 Present Hub [15][17]
Spain Barcelona Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport September 11, 2023 Present Charter [18]
Thailand Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport March 11, 2022 Present [19][20][21]
Turkey Ankara Ankara Esenboğa Airport August 27, 2022 November 12, 2022 Terminated [22]
United States Honolulu Daniel K. Inouye International Airport December 31, 2023 March 4, 2024 Terminated [23]
Los Angeles Los Angeles International Airport October 15, 2022 Present [24]
Newark Newark Liberty International Airport May 22, 2023 Present [25]
San Francisco San Francisco International Airport May 17, 2024 — Future [26]
Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City Tan Son Nhat International Airport January 12, 2022 October 29, 2023 Terminated [27][28][29]

Fleet[edit]

Boeing 787-9 of Air Premia at Incheon International Airport

As of January 2024, Air Premia operates the following aircraft:[30][31]

Air Premia fleet
Aircraft In
service 		Orders Passengers Notes
C Y Total
Boeing 787-9 5 4 56 253 309 Deliveries from 2024.[32]
282 338
Total 5 4

Fleet development[edit]

Air Premia's initial fleet was planned to consist of three Boeing 787-9s, but this was later increased to five.[3][4] In early 2024, Air Premia planned to increase its fleet with an additional four 787-9s to be leased from Korean Air starting later in 2024, as part of addressing competition concerns with Korean's proposed merger with Asiana Airlines.[32]

Service concept[edit]

Air Premia operates two cabins and classes of service on its aircraft, consisting of a premium economy cabin (branded as Premia 42) consisting of 56 seats in a 2–3–2 layout, and an economy class cabin (branded as Economy 35) consisting of seats in a 3–3–3 layout, with the numbers in the branding reflecting their respective seat pitch.[33] In contrast to low-cost carriers, Air Premia includes various services complimentary rather than imposing additional fees for them, such as baggage allowances, in-flight catering, and in-flight entertainment. However, the airline still provides some buy-on-board services, such as for duty-free sales and Wi-Fi access.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Air Premia receives IATA and ICAO codes". Corporate Travel Community. April 21, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Air Premia Airline Profile". CAPA.
  3. ^ a b "Air Premia to Introduce Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner". Air Premia (Press release). February 1, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Nukina, Keishi (October 30, 2019). "Korean Start-Up Air Premia Announces Plans to Buy Five 787-9s". KN Aviation. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  5. ^ "Air Premia to receive three Boeing 787-9s in 2022". Corporate Travel Community. February 11, 2022.
  6. ^ "Air Premia leases two Boeing 787-9s from Aergo Capital". CAPA. August 5, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c "Air Premia to launch first domestic service in Aug-2021". CAPA. August 2, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Kim, Yong-kwon (October 28, 2021). "에어프레미아 국내선 운항 종료...12월 싱가포르 취항 추진" [Air Premia ends domestic operation...launching to Singapore in December] (in Korean). Financial News.
  9. ^ Liu, Jim (May 18, 2023). "Air Premia Adds Bangladesh Scheduled Charters From July 2023". AeroRoutes.
  10. ^ Liu, Jim (September 8, 2023). "Air Premia Moves Dhaka Service Launch to Oct 2023". AeroRoutes.
  11. ^ Liu, Jim (March 23, 2023). "Air Premia schedules Frankfurt June 2023 launch". AeroRoutes.
  12. ^ Lim, Seong-ho (November 10, 2023). "에어프레미아, 인천∼프랑크푸르트 노선 12월 30일부터 비운항" [Air Premia, suspends Incheon~Frankfurt from December 30]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean).
  13. ^ Liu, Jim (November 9, 2022). "Air Premia Plans Tokyo late-Dec 2022 Launch". AeroRoutes. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  14. ^ Jang, Yong-seok (March 24, 2023). "에어프레미아, 팬데믹 이후 최초 5월 노르웨이 직항로 취항" [Air Premia, launches direct route to Norway in May for the first time since pandemic]. Global Economic (in Korean).
  15. ^ a b Yi, Won-ju (December 24, 2021). "Air Premia opens cargo flights to Singapore". Yonhap News Agency.
  16. ^ "Incheon-Singapore route suspension notice". Air Premia (Press release). March 24, 2023.
  17. ^ Choi, Pyeong-cheon (March 11, 2022). "에어프레미아, 인천~방콕 노선 운항…국제선 3번째 취항" [Air Premia, begins Incheon~Bangkok route…third international route to launch]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean).
  18. ^ Liu, Jim (May 15, 2023). "Air Premia Schedules Seoul – Barcelona Charters From Sep 2023". AeroRoutes.
  19. ^ Choi, Kyong-ae (March 11, 2022). "Air Premia opens cargo flights to Bangkok". Yonhap News Agency.
  20. ^ Liu, Jim (February 24, 2023). "Air Premia Adds Bangkok Service in April 2023". Aeroroutes.
  21. ^ Liu, Jim (May 1, 2023). "Air Premia Expands Bangkok Flights from June 2023". AeroRoutes.
  22. ^ Liu, Jim (September 2, 2022). "Air Premia Expands Ankara Charters to mid-Nov 2022". AeroRoutes.
  23. ^ Liu, Jim. "Air Premia Files 1Q24 Honolulu Schedule". AeroRoutes. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  24. ^ Liu, Jim (September 3, 2022). "Air Premia Tentatively Moves Los Angeles Debut to mid-Oct 2022". AeroRoutes.
  25. ^ Liu, Jim (March 16, 2023). "Air Premia Launches Seoul – Newark Service From May 2023". AeroRoutes.
  26. ^ Liu, Jim (January 19, 2024). "Air Premia Schedules mid-May 2024 San Francisco Launch". AeroRoutes. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  27. ^ Choi, Kyong-ae (January 12, 2022). "Air Premia opens cargo flights to Vietnam". Yonhap News Agency.
  28. ^ Liu, Jim (August 12, 2022). "Air Premia Schedules Ho Chi Minh City Passenger Service in Oct 2022". AeroRoutes. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  29. ^ "Incheon – Ho Chi Minh route suspension notice". Air Premia (Press release). June 15, 2023.
  30. ^ "Air Premia Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. August 16, 2023.
  31. ^ "About aircraft". Air Premia.
  32. ^ a b "Korean Air to lease four B787-9s to Air Premia to resolve competition concerns in the US". Aviator. January 24, 2024. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  33. ^ "Services by class". Air Premia. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
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