By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
Korea has 455 civil aircrafts as of June 30, up nearly 6 percent annually from 257 a decade ago, according to the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs.
Among them, 213 are passenger and cargo airplanes operated by airlines ― Korean Air has 124 planes, Asiana Airlines 66, Jeju Air eight, Air Busan five, Jin Air and Eastar Jet four each, and Hansung Airlines, which suspended operation, two.
Those owned by Korean Air and Asiana Airlines are 8.9 years old on average, which is lower than the average ages of American carriers' planes ― nine to 15 years ― and those of European ones ― nine to 13 years.
``The large increase of the total number is partly due to the launch of low cost airlines in Korea, which are actively adopting more aircrafts,'' a ministry official said.
Another 37 airplanes and 71 helicopters are used for aerial photography or survey. They include those operated by companies providing irregular helicopter transportation service ― nine choppers by Tongil Air Systems, 12 by Helikorea and 11 by Hongik Air Service ― and those owned by other types of firms, such as Samsung Techwin and Hyundai Motor.
Government agencies own 54 planes and helicopters, including the transport ministry, the Korea Forest Service and the National 119 Rescue Services. Another 24 aircraft are owned by local authorities, such as Seoul Metropolitan Government, while two broadcasters have one helicopter each, and aviation schools have 34 for training.
The number of private aircrafts owned by companies has increased along with growing international business, the ministry said. Samsung Electronics has three airplanes, LG Electronics has one, and Hyundai Motor has one. POSCO, SK Telecom, Hanwha Chemical Corp. and Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering own choppers.
The number of aircrafts here is likely to continue to grow in the future, as national flag carriers plan to adopt more planes, including next-generation aircrafts using 15-25 percent less fuel ― Korean Air will adopt 56 flights by 2015 and Asiana will have 45 by 2021.