South Korean hybrid carrier Air Premia will begin service between Seoul and San Francisco during the northern summer season, becoming the fourth airline to connect the cities nonstop.
The move will see the carrier fly to three U.S. destinations from May as it steadily increases its North American network. It will compete on the 5,642-mi. (4,903-nm) route with Asiana Airlines, Korean Air and United Airlines.
Flights from Seoul Incheon International Airport to San Francisco International Airport will launch on May 17, operating four times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The carrier plans to deploy Boeing 787-9 aircraft on the sector.
Air Premia commenced operations with domestic and dedicated belly cargo flights during the COVID crisis in 2021 and has since expanded its network to seven international destinations. In the U.S., the airline currently serves Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) six times per week, as well as offering four roundtrips to both Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).
The route between Seoul and Honolulu started on Dec. 31 and is currently scheduled to run until March 4. However, alongside the San Francisco launch, Air Premia plans to increase the LAX route to daily from May 16.
This means the carrier will operate about 9,270 two-way weekly seats between South Korea and the U.S. from late May, data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows, up from 6,180 a year earlier when the Seoul-based airline served EWR and LAX.
Air Premia currently has a fleet of four 787-9s in service and a fifth in storage, the CAPA Fleet Database shows. Speaking at Routes World 2023 in October, Ryan Park, the carrier's strategy planning manager, said the airline hopes to increase its fleet to 10 aircraft by 2025 and 15 by 2027.
The carrier's target market is small business, VFR and millennial travelers. It operates its 309-seat 787s in a two-class configuration, with 56 premium economy and 253 economy seats.
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