Air Premia

Air Premia, Inc. (Korean: 에어프레미아) is a South Korean airline based in Seoul. It describes itself as a "hybrid airline", providing a higher level of service than low-cost airlines while having lower operating costs than larger, full-service airlines. The airline was founded in 2017 by the former president of Jeju Air, Kim Jong-chul.

Source: Wikipedia

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Air Premia

History

Air Premia

Air Premia was established on July 27, 2017, by the ex-president of Jeju Air, Kim Jong-chul. In April 2019, the airline intended to launch in 2020 and lease three Boeing 787-9s from Air Lease Corporation (ALC), but later announced that it had agreed to purchase five. The airline was initially expected to launch with regional routes within Asia, but later intended to operate long-haul routes to Europe and the United States.

In April 2021, Air Premia received its first Boeing 787-9, with plans to operate 10 aircraft by the end of 2024. On August 11, 2021, the airline celebrated its inauguration of flights with a domestic service between Seoul and Jeju. Domestic services ended on October 30, 2021, as the airline prepared to transition to exclusively operating international routes. These consisted of a mix of scheduled, chartered, passenger, and dedicated cargo services to destinations in Asia, Europe, and North America.

Destinations

Air Premia

As of April 2025, Air Premia operates or has operated to the following destinations:

<table><thead><tr><th>Country</th><th>City</th><th>Airport</th><th>Start date</th><th>End date</th><th>Notes</th><th>Refs</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Bangladesh</td><td>Dhaka</td><td>Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport</td><td>3 October 2023</td><td>Present</td><td>Charter</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Germany</td><td>Frankfurt</td><td>Frankfurt Airport</td><td>27 June 2023</td><td>30 December 2023</td><td>Terminated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Hong Kong</td><td>Hong Kong</td><td>Hong Kong International Airport</td><td>24 January 2025</td><td>Present</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Japan</td><td>Tokyo</td><td>Narita International Airport</td><td>23 December 2022</td><td>Present</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Norway</td><td>Oslo</td><td>Oslo Airport, Gardermoen</td><td>11 May 2023</td><td>Present</td><td>Charter</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Singapore</td><td>Singapore</td><td>Changi Airport</td><td>24 December 2021</td><td>26 October 2023</td><td>Terminated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>South Korea</td><td>Jeju</td><td>Jeju International Airport</td><td>11 August 2021</td><td>30 October 2021</td><td>Terminated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Seoul</td><td>Gimpo International Airport</td><td>11 August 2021</td><td>30 October 2021</td><td>Terminated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Incheon International Airport</td><td>24 December 2021</td><td>Present</td><td>Hub</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Spain</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport</td><td>11 September 2023</td><td>Present</td><td>Charter</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Thailand</td><td>Bangkok</td><td>Suvarnabhumi Airport</td><td>11 March 2022</td><td>Present</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Turkey</td><td>Ankara</td><td>Ankara Esenboğa Airport</td><td>27 August 2022</td><td>12 November 2022</td><td>Terminated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>United States</td><td>Honolulu</td><td>Daniel K. Inouye International Airport</td><td>11 December 2023 2 July 2025</td><td>4 March 2024 Present</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Los Angeles</td><td>Los Angeles International Airport</td><td>15 October 2022</td><td>Present</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Newark</td><td>Newark Liberty International Airport</td><td>22 May 2023</td><td>Present</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>San Francisco</td><td>San Francisco International Airport</td><td>17 May 2024</td><td>Present</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Washington, D.C.</td><td>Dulles International Airport</td><td>24 April 2026</td><td>Future</td><td>Future</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Vietnam</td><td>Da Nang</td><td>Da Nang International Airport</td><td>23 January 2025</td><td>Present</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Ho Chi Minh City</td><td>Tan Son Nhat International Airport</td><td>12 January 2022</td><td>29 October 2023</td><td>Terminated</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

Interline agreements

Air Premia has interlining agreements with the following airlines:

Fleet

Air Premia

Air Premia Boeing 787-9 at Narita International Airport in Tokyo

As of June 2025, Air Premia operates an all-Boeing 787-9 fleet composed of the following aircraft:

<table><thead><tr><th>Aircraft</th><th>In service</th><th>Orders</th><th>Passengers</th><th>Notes</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>W</td><td>Y</td><td>Total</td></tr><tr><td>Boeing 787-9</td><td>9</td><td>—</td><td>56</td><td>253</td><td>309</td><td>Deliveries through 2025.</td></tr><tr><td>56</td><td>264</td><td>320</td></tr><tr><td>35</td><td>291</td><td>326</td></tr><tr><td>35</td><td>309</td><td>344</td><td>To be re-configured to a 326-seat configuration.</td></tr><tr><td>Total</td><td>9</td><td>—</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

Fleet development

Air Premia's initial fleet was planned to consist of three Boeing 787-9s, but this was later increased to five. In early 2024, Air Premia planned to increase its fleet with an additional four 787-9s to be leased from Korean Air starting later in 2024, as part of addressing competition concerns with Korean Air's proposed merger with Asiana Airlines.

Near the end of 2025, the airline considered adding Airbus widebodies in response to delays in 787 deliveries, in addition to an evaluation of shifting toward narrowbodies to morph to a hub-and-spoke network model.

Service concept

Air Premia

Air Premia operates two cabins and classes of service on its aircraft, consisting of a premium economy cabin (branded as Premia 42) consisting of 56 seats in a 2–3–2 layout, and an economy cabin (branded as Economy 35) consisting of seats in a 3–3–3 layout, with the numbers in the branding reflecting their respective seat pitch in inches. In contrast to low-cost carriers, Air Premia includes various services complimentarily rather than imposing additional fees for them, such as baggage allowances, in-flight catering, and in-flight entertainment. However, the airline still provides some buy on board services, such as for duty-free sales and Wi-Fi access.