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:
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.[33]
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.[34] 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.
^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).