Jeju Air announced on the 24th that it has acquired one Boeing B737-8 aircraft.
The newly introduced B737-8 is a business light seat aircraft that reduces the seating arrangement from 189 seats to 174 seats. It is known that the operational aircraft has been changed from the B737-800NG to the B737-8 to secure cost competitiveness. Jeju Air stated that it is expected to begin operations after inspections of the maintenance system and obtaining type certification from the relevant authorities.
The number of B737-8 aircraft acquired and introduced by Jeju Air has increased to four. Jeju Air previously signed a contract in November 2018 with Boeing to purchase 50 B737-8 aircraft (40 firm orders and 10 options).
Including the newly introduced B737-8, Jeju Air owns a total of 42 aircraft (40 passenger planes and 2 cargo planes).
Jeju Air is changing its aircraft operation method by returning leased aircraft at the end of contracts and purchasing new aircraft. The company noted that this is expected to reduce operational expenses by around 14% annually.
Jeju Air explained that it plans to carry out a fleet modernization project by 2030 to lower the average age to less than 5 years.