With the summer vacation season approaching, an internal whistleblowing post urging people not to use JIN AIR due to a shortage of flight crew and excessive flight schedules has been uploaded to an anonymous employee community. The company refuted the claims, stating that they are untrue.
According to the airline industry on the 12th, a post stating 'Please do not fly with JIN AIR at least in July and August' was uploaded to the anonymous employee community 'Blind.' A person identified as a current captain, referred to as A, wrote that the lack of pilots to operate aircraft in the peak season might lead to flights being suspended in July and August. Due to successive resignations, there is a shortage of both captains and first officers, and the remaining staff are operating under a strenuous flight schedule. It was also noted that accumulated fatigue puts passenger safety at risk.
JIN AIR owns 31 aircraft. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport recommends having 6 captains and 6 first officers per aircraft. According to the ministry's recommendations, JIN AIR needs to hire a minimum of 372 staff, including 186 captains and 186 first officers.
Currently, the number of JIN AIR pilots stands at a total of 543, including trainees. Even excluding trainees, the number of pilots is 435, which exceeds the ministry's recommended standards. JIN AIR representatives stated, 'Although the number of first officers is lower than that of captains, we comply with the ministry’s recommendation of 7 captains and 7 first officers per aircraft.'
Concerns have also been raised that JIN AIR is jeopardizing safe operations by not allowing aircraft to rest. JIN AIR's average monthly flight time for the first quarter of this year (the figure of paid flying hours divided by the number of aircraft) is 381 hours, an increase from the first quarters of 2023 (349 hours) and 2024 (377 hours). However, this is similar to levels seen in other low-cost carriers.
A noted, '(Due to the shortage of pilots) a pilot who flew overnight from Southeast Asia wakes up at 3 a.m. the next day to fly to Japan in the morning. They are extremely tired and on the verge of fainting, but they pinch their thighs to stay alert and ensure passenger safety.' They further stated that they wake up at 4 a.m. and fly the Gimpo-Jeju route three days in a row, take a day off, and then repeat such flights for another three consecutive days.
In response, a JIN AIR official stated, 'We are hiring flight crew in compliance with the Ministry’s recommendations and operating flights. There is no issue with the safety of operations.'
Concerns about the high fatigue levels of LCC crew members have been ongoing. An industry insider noted, 'LCCs primarily cover short-haul routes, so they need to carry passengers frequently to be profitable. This makes it difficult for management, which must show results through cost reduction, to make improvements.'