Air Premia Obtains Air Operator Certificate... Preparing to Operate 'Gimpo~Jeju' Route

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] Hybrid airline (HSC) Air Premia announced on the 16th that it has obtained the Air Operator Certificate (AOC), a safety license for aircraft operation, from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

The AOC is a certificate that verifies whether an air transport business operator, who has received a business license, has sufficiently secured all necessary conditions for air transportation, such as organization, personnel, and facilities.

Going forward, Air Premia plans to commence full-scale operations after completing procedures such as route approval and fare reporting with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The first route being prepared is Gimpo~Jeju, and the launch date will be decided considering the current enhanced COVID-19 quarantine measures.

Shim Juyeop, CEO of Air Premia, stated, “With the issuance of the AOC, we will do our best to provide differentiated services to customers as the nation’s first hybrid airline that offers both high-quality service and reasonable costs, allowing everyone to use air services comfortably.”

Meanwhile, unlike existing low-cost carriers (LCC) that mainly operate small aircraft, Air Premia has introduced medium-to-large Boeing 787-9 (Dreamliner) aircraft made of carbon composite materials, which are highly durable and feature upgraded comfort functions such as pressure and humidity control. These aircraft are highly fuel-efficient and suitable from an ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management perspective.

In particular, to ensure passengers enjoy a comfortable journey, Air Premia offers ‘Economy’ seats that are more spacious than those of both LCCs and full-service carriers (FSC). They plan to introduce ‘Premium Economy’ seats with an industry-leading seat pitch of 42 inches, which has been hard to find among existing domestic airlines.

An Air Premia official said, “In addition to the largest seat pitch in its class, we will provide in-flight Wi-Fi and touch screens at every seat, focusing on enabling anyone to experience a comfortable flight at a reasonable price, thereby offering services differentiated from existing airlines.”

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