Air Busan Introduces East Asia's First A321LR... Deploys on Jeju Route

[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] Air Busan announced on the 19th that it has introduced one Airbus A321LR (Long Range), the next-generation aircraft, becoming the first East Asian airline to do so. The aircraft will first undergo airworthiness inspections domestically and is scheduled to be deployed on the Jeju route starting from the 31st.

The A321LR introduced by Air Busan is a brand-new aircraft with zero years of service and will be equipped with a total of 220 seats. The strength of the A321LR lies in its eco-friendliness. Equipped with new engines, it offers 15% better fuel efficiency compared to the previous A321 model, reducing carbon emissions by approximately 5,000 tons annually.

It is also capable of medium-range flights. The A321LR has a range about 1,000 km longer than competing models, enabling medium-range flights to destinations such as Singapore, Delhi in India, and Jakarta in Indonesia. Accordingly, Air Busan plans to operate premium economy seats in rows 1 to 3 of the A321LR to suit medium-range routes.

Han Tae-geun, CEO of Air Busan, said, "Although the aviation industry is facing very difficult circumstances due to the spread of COVID-19, we believe that proactive and differentiated fleet introduction will become a significant competitive advantage when the situation improves."

Meanwhile, Air Busan will introduce a total of four new aircraft this year (two A321LRs and two A321neos), return three existing aircraft, and operate a total fleet of 27 aircraft.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.