Air Premia, Inc. () 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.
History 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 operates or has operated to the following destinations:
CountryCityAirportStart date End dateNotesRefsBangladeshDhakaHazrat Shahjalal International AirportPresentGermanyFrankfurtFrankfurt AirportHong KongHong KongHong Kong International AirportPresentJapanSapporoNew Chitose AirportFutureTokyoNarita International AirportPresentNorwayOsloOslo Airport, GardermoenPresentSingaporeSingaporeChangi AirportSouth KoreaJejuJeju International AirportSeoulGimpo International AirportIncheon International AirportPresentSpainBarcelonaJosep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat AirportPresentThailandBangkokSuvarnabhumi AirportPresentTurkeyAnkaraAnkara Esenboğa AirportUnited StatesHonoluluDaniel K. Inouye International AirportPresent Los AngelesLos Angeles International AirportPresent NewarkNewark Liberty International AirportPresent San FranciscoSan Francisco International AirportPresent Washington, D.C.Dulles International AirportPresentVietnamDa NangDa Nang International AirportPresentHo Chi Minh CityTan Son Nhat International AirportFuture
Interline agreements Air Premia has interlining agreements with the following airlines:
Alaska Airlines Korean Air Thai Airways International Trinity Airways
Fleet
, Air Premia operates the following aircraft:
+ Air Premia fleetAircraftInserviceOrdersPassengersNotesWYTotalBoeing 787-99—56253309Deliveries through 2025.562643203529132635309344To be re-configured to a 326-seat configuration.Total9—
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.
Former fleet , Air Premia operated 9 Boeing 787-9.
Service concept 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.
References
External links Official website