A third U.S. route is being launched by Air Premia in December, adding to the South Korean airline’s existing services to New York’s Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Flights from Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN) to Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport are scheduled to start on Dec. 31, operating four times per week. Data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows the route will be served using Boeing 787-9 aircraft with a flight time of 8 hr. and 50 min. on the outbound leg. 

The plans to serve Hawaii come despite the recent wildfires on the island of Maui that have killed at least 114 people and left 850 others missing. In the immediate aftermath of the fires that broke out on Aug. 8, tourism officials strongly discouraged non-essential travel to the region.

In the Seoul-Honolulu market, the hybrid airline will face competition from Korean Air, Asiana Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. Korean Air serves the market daily at the present time using 777-300ER equipment, while Asiana and Hawaiian each offer five flights per week aboard 777-200LRs and Airbus A330-200s, respectively.

O&D traffic in the South Korea-Hawaii market totaled 260,000 two-way passengers during 2022, Sabre market Intelligence data shows, compared with 424,000 in 2019. The figure for the first six months of 2023 was around 170,000 passengers.

If the ICN-HNL route launches as planned, Honolulu will become Air Premia’s third U.S. destination alongside service to LAX and EWR, which commenced in November 2022 and May 2023, respectively. 

The airline also flies to four other international cities, linking its ICN base with Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Frankfurt Airport, Ho Chi Minh City Tan Son Nhat Airport, and Tokyo Narita Airport. Routes to Paris and San Francisco are also understood to be under review.

Air Premia has a fleet of four 787-9s in service. The aircraft are configured in a two-class cabin, with 56 premium economy seats and 253 in economy.