South Korean carrier Jeju Air is due to receive its second Boeing 737-800 next week and it is looking to lease another eight 737-800s.
A well-placed official at Jeju Air says the week beginning 14 July the airline’s second 737-800 is due to arrive in South Korea and will be used for scheduled domestic services as well as international charter services to Japan.
The two 737-800s are on lease from Macquarie AirFinance, says the source, who confirms the airline is in the market for more.
It also operates four Bombardier Q400s and already has five 737-800s on firm order but plans to have a fleet of 15 737-800s by 2013, says the source.
This means it is looking to have 10 of the 15 737s on leases. The source says ideally it wants six to seven year leases and for the aircraft to be in an all-economy configuration of 189 passenger seats.
The airline has been operating charters to Fukuoka and Hiroshima in southern Japan on behalf of several South Korean travel agencies and it will soon be adding charters to the northern Japanese city of Sapporo, says the official.
He says the airline hopes to eventually serve all of Japan’s major cities and by year-end be ready to launch services to a second foreign country, either China or a nation in Southeast Asia.
The official also says the airline has been sending pilots to Alteon Training in the USA for 737 simulator training and the company has just bought a CFM International CFM56 engine that will be delivered at the end of August and be used as a standby.
One of Jeju Air’s strengths is its owners are the Jeju provincial government and South Korean conglomerate Aekyung Group so it is strong financially, adds the official, who wishes to remain anonymous.
Source: flightglobal.com's sister premium news site Air Transport Intelligence news
Source: FlightGlobal.com
