Jeju Air Passengers Hit 3 Million Mark
By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter
Jeju Air, the nation's first and only budget carrier with an international service, celebrated its fourth anniversary as it reached the 3-million passenger mark last week.
A unit of Aekyung Group, the Jeju-based airline issued free round-trip coupons to Kitakyushu, Japan, on Sept. 14 to all 150 passengers on flight 7C109 (Gimpo-Jeju), which had been carrying the 3 millionth flier.
The gesture reflected the low-cost carrier's determination to expand despite people's hesitation to travel due to the economic downturn and widening flu fears.
"Success in the airline business takes time and patience, as seen in the case of Asiana. We place a high importance on Jeju Air, as it harbors long-term visions of Aekyung," said Yang Seong-jin, a public relations director for the group.
On the occasion of its fourth year of operation since launching in 2006, Jeju Air is planning to increase its number of jets, staff and routes.
"We are planning to introduce two additional Boeing jetliners and launch three to five new international routes," an official with the airline said.
The measures are expected to boost the airline's stature among a handful of low-budget carriers here.
Recent statistics indicate that demand for Jeju Air is on the rise.
As the only budget airline with international connections, it took only 39 months since founding for Jeju Air to record 3 million passengers, only 8 months after it reached 2 million in December 2008.
The airline was launched in 2006 with only one aircraft. Currently, there are seven in operation, the most among domestic budget carriers, including Jin Air, Air Busan and Eastar.
Each of its three flagship planes are Boeing 737-800s with 189 seats each. The other four jetliners, adopted during the airline's early days, have 78 seats.
On a daily basis, Jeju Air carries 4,300 passengers on 50 flight services.
It is now the third largest civilian airline after Korean Air and Asiana.
Its domestic connections consist of the Gimpo-Jeju, Busan-Jeju and Cheongju-Jeju routes.
Internationally, the airline provides connections between Korea and Japan, and Korea and Thailand with three lines -- Incheon-Osaka, Incheon-Kitakyushu and Incheon-Bangkok.
Its airfare is about 70 percent of that of the major airlines Korean Air and Asiana Airlines.
Since the inception of low-cost carriers, or LCC, in the United States in the early 1990s, they have become more popular in Korea.
A recent survey by the Korea Airports Corporation said that LCCs take up 29.7 percent of all domestic flights. Korean Air and Asiana took up 43.1 percent and 27.2 percent, respectively.
More people are opting for LCCs when flying to the southwestern resort island of Jeju.
In 2006, only 3.1 percent of all domestic fliers to Jeju travelled by LCC. Now the percentage has reached almost 30 percent.
Ahead of Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving, Jeju Air is offering a sizable discount of up to 50 percent on roundtrip tickets to the island from Gimpo, Busan and Cheongju.
During the week, a Gimpo-Jeju roundtrip ticket costs 58,000 won.
The airline has introduced special package programs including accommodation of various levels, and car rentals, with prices ranging from 400,000 to 700,000 won, for a two-night stay in Jeju for two travelers.
Reservations and inquiries can be made at www.jejuair.net.
In line with its expansion plans, the airline will hire 30 professionals, including pilots and flight attendants, to serve on the forthcoming additional international routes.
The expansion of the airline business partly reflects Aekyung's increasing focus on the travel industry. Aekyung has largely made a name for itself as a manufacturer of daycare products like soap, toothpaste and shampoo.
Recently, though, the company, one of the country's large family-owned conglomerates, launched a hiking tour program for foreign visitors through its subsidiary 365KOREA.com.
The program takes foreigners to 13 national parks, including Seoraksan, Odaesan, Sobaeksan and Jirisan, assisted by English-speaking tour guides.
"Through this unique hiking program, we hope that foreigners will gain a deeper appreciation of not just the country's nature, but also its culture," said Lee Seung-hoon, a public relations official for the company.