2014.09.13
JinAir to increase flights from Seoul to Okinawa from October
JinAir, an LCC subsidiary of the Korean Air Lines, announced an increase in the flights between Naha and Inchon Airport in Seoul from one to two a day. The service starts from Oct. 26th. JinAir has run at average 80% capacity between January and August this year, and the company says its number of customers is steadily increasing.
JinAir that started its service to Okinawa in Dec. 2012, is using a Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 180 seats. JinAir will increase one round flight per day to its current schedule leaving 7:45 a.m. from Soul to Naha and returning at 11 a.m. from Naha to Soul from Monday through Saturday. On Sundays, there is a 2:05 p.m. flight from Soul to Naha and 5:20 p.m. return flight from Naha to Soul. The current flight schedule will change with the added flights.
According to a JinAir spokesman, the carrier aims at 70% occupancy rate. He stated “We think about increasing the demand by increasing supply. Regarding our pricing, it should be easy for people to use our service, therefore, we can increase the occupancy rate.”
According to Okinawa Prefecture Office, thanks to movies and dramas shot on locations on Okinawa, the recognition of Okinawa is increasing in Korea, and the demand for travel to Okinawa is rising. “There are several airline companies, including Asiana Airlines and JinAir that consider scheduling more flights to Okinawa. The Prefectural Office will make strong efforts to attract other Korean airline companies in addition to these two to come to Okinawa,” a prefecture spokesman said.