Jeju Air to Cut 1,900 Flights by March... Reducing Japan and Southeast Asia Routes

Jeju Air announced that it will reduce about 1,900 flights from January to March this year. The reductions will include domestic routes with high flight frequencies as well as international routes to Japan and Southeast Asia.

On the 3rd, Song Kyung-hoon, Head of Management Support at Jeju Air, said at a disaster briefing held at the Mayfield Hotel in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, "We have explained this plan to the authorities and are proceeding with the related administrative procedures," adding, "Once the procedures are completed, we will provide alternative flight information to passengers whose schedules have been changed and assist with further changes if requested."

Previously, Jeju Air announced that it would reduce flight volume by 10 to 15% until March, the winter period, to enhance flight safety.

Jeju Air passenger plane. Jeju Air

원본보기 아이콘

On the same day, Jeju Air initially announced through a passenger notice that it would cut a total of 1,116 flights from February 6 to March 29, including 838 domestic flights and 278 international flights departing from Muan Airport. Domestic flights will be reduced on four routes: Gimpo-Jeju, Busan-Jeju, Cheongju-Jeju, and Muan-Jeju. International flights departing from Muan will be cut on five routes: Nagasaki, Bangkok, Kota Kinabalu, Taipei, and Zhangjiajie.

The remaining approximately 800 flights will be finalized and announced next week after coordination with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Jeju Air stated that flights confirmed for cancellation will undergo schedule changes or refunds to minimize passenger inconvenience.

At the briefing, Head Song also addressed support for the families of the disaster victims, saying, "We have consulted with the bereaved families regarding funeral expenses and condolence money," and added, "We will thoroughly ensure that the payment procedures and methods are individually guided so that payments can be made promptly." However, he noted, "There has been no agreement yet on the scale of support, including individual insurance payments," and added, "Since family relationships of the recipients and inheritance priorities must be considered, even after the scale, method, and procedures for payment are decided, it will certainly take some time."

Regarding liquidity issues caused by ticket cancellations, he explained, "Although cancellations are occurring, reservations continue to come in steadily, and we have secured cash, so there is no concern about liquidity problems," adding, "We have secured about 140 billion won in cash."

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.