"Cargo Aircraft No. 2 Introduction Boosts Shippers' Trust... Entry into Greater China Routes"

Prioritizing 'Punctuality' Over Short-Term Cargo Volume
Rises to 3rd Place in National Carrier Cargo Volume in 1.5 Years
Aims to Expand Existing Routes and Transport Rights Through Second Aircraft

"Building trust with shippers is the core of the cargo business. By introducing the second aircraft, we can operate more schedules in the morning, afternoon, and late-night hours more stably, allowing us to keep our time commitments with shippers."

Park Jiheon, Head of Cargo Business at Jeju Air, emphasized the significance of introducing the second cargo aircraft in an interview with our newspaper on the 14th. Since launching its cargo business in earnest with the introduction of a dedicated cargo aircraft in June last year, Jeju Air, as a latecomer in the cargo sector, set building trust with shippers as its primary goal. To build trust, 'punctuality'?delivering cargo at the scheduled time?is the most important factor. Operating routes in this manner is expected to naturally increase the volume of cargo ordered by shippers.

Jiheon Park, Head of Cargo Business Division at Jeju Air [Photo by Joint Press Corps]

Before Jeju Air introduced its first cargo aircraft last year, most of South Korea's international air cargo volume was handled by domestic FSCs (Full Service Carriers) such as Korean Air and Asiana Airlines. At that time, the total air cargo volume to and from Korea was 3,420,238 tons. Among this, the two carriers handled about 70% (2,334,789 tons) of the total cargo volume. Notably, moving away from the belly cargo method (loading cargo in the lower part of passenger aircraft) used in passenger services to introduce dedicated cargo aircraft for specialized cargo operations was a first for LCCs (excluding Air Incheon, a cargo-specialized LCC). In June last year, when Jeju Air introduced its dedicated cargo aircraft, it transported 803 tons internationally, which was less than Air Incheon (3,017 tons) and T'way Air (835 tons).

However, Jeju Air, which emphasized the 'time' promise with shippers, achieved remarkable results. In November alone, out of 335,553 tons of international air cargo, Jeju Air handled 8,861 tons, ranking third in international cargo transport after Korean Air (132,348 tons) and Asiana Airlines (64,341 tons).

Jeju Air expects that the cargo business philosophy carried from the first aircraft?'delivering cargo at the exact time'?will be better upheld with the addition of the second aircraft. The second aircraft will be added to the existing cargo routes served by the first aircraft (Incheon-Hanoi, Yantai, Tokyo). Specifically, the first aircraft operates 15 round trips per week, and the second aircraft operates 12 round trips per week, providing cargo services to shippers a total of 27 times weekly.

[Photo by Jeju Air]

Currently, Jeju Air's main route is the Incheon-Vietnam Hanoi segment. The second aircraft was first deployed on this route on the 14th. Vietnam has factories of electronics companies such as Samsung and LG, generating high demand for electronic product cargo. Park noted that due to the US-China conflict, automobile parts factories are relocating from China to Vietnam, increasing related demand. He said, "Among cargo heading to Southeast Asia, the volume to Vietnam is the largest," adding, "We planned operations to ensure flights between Incheon and Hanoi during late-night hours without fail."

Park also mentioned that e-commerce cargo volumes, such as from AliExpress, are increasing in Yantai, China. Regarding future plans, he emphasized, "We will increase high value-added cargo volumes by obtaining certifications such as the first domestic LCC lithium-ion battery air transport quality management system." He added, "By securing traffic rights on Greater China routes, we aim to establish a position as a small but strong cargo operator in the long term."

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