Jeju Air to add aircraft to fleet by next March

By Nam Kwang-sik

SEOUL, Nov. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's biggest budget carrier Jeju Air Co. said Thursday it has signed a preliminary deal with GE Commercial Aviation Services, the world's top aircraft leasing company, to introduce a new aircraft into its fleet.

A 189-seat Boeing 737-800 will be delivered by the end of March next year, Jeju
Air said in a statement. The carrier will hire 30 to 40 recruits between December
and January of next year to operate the plane, it said.
Jeju Air has a fleet of six passenger aircrafts, comprised of four turboprop
planes and two Boeing 737-800s. It plans to increase its fleet to 21 by 2013, the
low-cost carrier said.
Jeju Air signed a US$363 million deal with Boeing Co. in December 2007 to buy
five 737-800 planes, which are scheduled to be delivered to the carrier between
2011 and 2013.
Jeju Air began flight services on domestic routes in 2006 and launched charter
flight services between the city of Jeju and Hiroshima, Japan in July.
As of November, four budget carriers -- Jeju Air Co., Jin Air Co., Yeongnam Air
Co. and AirBusan Co. -- offer flight services on domestic routes, while discount
carriers Eastar Jet, Kostar Airlines and Incheon Tiger Airways are preparing to
launch domestic routes.
Amid the deepening economic downturn, Hansung Airlines, the country's first
budget carrier, suspended flight services on its two domestic routes in
mid-October due to the carrier's cumulative deficit and funding failure.