Lee Min-hyung joined The Korea Times in 2014 and has worked as a journalist mainly in Korea’s finance, tech and automotive industry. He specializes in content creation, breaking news and in-depth analysis currently on transportation and mobility. You can reach him via mhlee@koreatimes.co.kr.
Repeated delays plague T'way Air
T’way Air CEO Jeong Hong-geun speaks during a press conference inside one of the company's passenger jets at Gimpo International Airport in this March 17, 2022 photo. Joint Press Corps-Yonhap
By Lee Min-hyung
Operation of outdated passenger jets main cause of frequent delays for T'way Air
T'way Air is facing increasing criticism for frequent flight delays and inadequate compensation to customers, which is apparently due to the airline's use of outdated A330-200 passenger jets.
The company has been making all-out efforts to expand into Europe after taking over four routes from Korean Air: Frankfurt, Rome, Barcelona and Paris.
The deal was part of a precondition concerning Korean Air's approval from the European Commission for its acquisition of Asiana Airlines.
However, the ambitious move hit a setback after the airline's passenger flight from Paris to Incheon was delayed by around 21 hours on Aug. 28.
The airline is facing criticism for offering lower-than-expected compensation to more than 100 passengers. According to the airline, it decided to offer compensation of 180,000 won ($133.95) to its economy-class passengers.
Passengers say that they can seek compensation under a European Union (EU) rule. Per the regulation, any passengers who take a flight from a member country of the EU can receive financial compensation of up to 600 euros, equivalent to over 880,000 won, for flight delays of more than three hours.
The airline, however, is mired in a series of similar controversies after its flight from Gimpo to Jeju Island was delayed for some five hours on Sunday morning due to airplane defects. The company also operated the same type of aircraft. Earlier, T'way rented five A330-200 aircraft from Korean Air for its European routes.
Industry officials cited T'way Air's operation of old A330-200 aircraft as the key reason for its frequent delays.
"Typically, passenger jets are considered outdated when they reach around 15 years of service, but most of the aircrafts T'way Air received from Korean Air are nearing that age," a local airline official said on condition of anonymity.
Following the continuous delays, T'way Air CEO Jeong Hong-geun is tasked with regaining customer trust, rather than pushing for its external growth focused on an increase in sales.
Starting with the route to Paris, T'way Air is scheduled to launch routes to Barcelona in Spain in September and Frankfurt in Germany the following month. It also started operating routes to Rome in August.
"We need to grow to become a more reliable airline by meeting thorough safety standards," he told its employees in an online post.
The airline suffered an operating loss, hit by the prolonged high exchange rates and oil prices, posting 21.5 billion won in the second quarter.
The company sees the successful launch of the upcoming European routes as a critical growth driver for the second half of 2024.
Jeong, a sales expert, led the company to become Koera's second-largest budget airline by sales in 2023. According to the company, it generated record annual sales of 1.34 trillion won last year, surpassing Jin Air and rising to clinch second spot after Jeju Air.