Air Premia, Inc. (Korean: 에어프레미아㈜; RR: eeo peuremia 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
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
As of May 2024[update], Air Premia operates or has operated to the following destinations:
Interline agreements
Air Premia has interlining agreements with the following airlines:
As of January 2024[update], Air Premia operates the following aircraft:[32][33]
Fleet development
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 Air's proposed merger with Asiana Airlines.[34]
Service concept
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 in inches.[35] 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
^ a b"Air Premia receives IATA and ICAO codes". Corporate Travel Community. April 21, 2020.
^ a b"Air Premia Airline Profile". CAPA.
^ a b"Air Premia to Introduce Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner". Air Premia (Press release). February 1, 2019.
^ a bNukina, Keishi (October 30, 2019). "Korean Start-Up Air Premia Announces Plans to Buy Five 787-9s". KN Aviation. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
^"Air Premia to receive three Boeing 787-9s in 2022". Corporate Travel Community. February 11, 2022.
^"Air Premia leases two Boeing 787-9s from Aergo Capital". CAPA. August 5, 2022.
^ a b c"Air Premia to launch first domestic service in Aug-2021". CAPA. August 2, 2021.
^ a b cKim, 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.
^Liu, Jim (May 18, 2023). "Air Premia Adds Bangladesh Scheduled Charters From July 2023". AeroRoutes.
^Liu, Jim (September 8, 2023). "Air Premia Moves Dhaka Service Launch to Oct 2023". AeroRoutes.
^Liu, Jim (March 23, 2023). "Air Premia schedules Frankfurt June 2023 launch". AeroRoutes.
^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).
^Liu, Jim (November 9, 2022). "Air Premia Plans Tokyo late-Dec 2022 Launch". AeroRoutes. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
^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).
^ a bYi, Won-ju (December 24, 2021). "Air Premia opens cargo flights to Singapore". Yonhap News Agency.
^"Incheon-Singapore route suspension notice". Air Premia (Press release). March 24, 2023.
^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).
^Liu, Jim (May 15, 2023). "Air Premia Schedules Seoul – Barcelona Charters From Sep 2023". AeroRoutes.
^Liu, Jim (August 12, 2022). "Air Premia Schedules Ho Chi Minh City Passenger Service in Oct 2022". AeroRoutes. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
^"Incheon – Ho Chi Minh route suspension notice". Air Premia (Press release). June 15, 2023.
^"에어프레미아, 알래스카항공과 인터라인 협약…"미주·중남미 연결"" [Air Premia, Alaska Airlines, Interline Agreement… “Connecting the Americas, Central and South America”]. edaily.co.kr (in Korean). July 4, 2024.
^Lee, Seung-yeon (May 27, 2024). "에어프레미아, 대한항공과 동북아·동남아 연계노선 티켓 판매" [Air Premia, signs interline agreement with Korean Air to sales for Northeast Asia-Southeast Asia links]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean).
^"Air Premia Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. August 16, 2023.
^"About aircraft". Air Premia.
^ 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.
^"Services by class". Air Premia. Retrieved April 27, 2024.