Jeju Air

History

Jeju Air was established on 25 January 2005 as a joint venture between Aekyung Group and the Jeju provincial government, becoming South Korea's first low-cost carrier and going on to become the country's largest LCC by fleet and passenger numbers, listed on the Korea Exchange with Aekyung's holding company AK Holdings as its largest shareholder. The airline built its business on domestic Korean trunk routes and short-haul international leisure routes across Northeast and Southeast Asia. On 29 December 2024, Jeju Air Flight 2216, a Boeing 737-800 returning from Bangkok, crashed while landing at Muan International Airport after an apparent bird strike, killing 179 of 181 occupants in the deadliest air disaster in South Korean history; the accident prompted a major domestic reckoning over aviation and airport safety and shaped the airline's operations and public standing into 2025 and 2026.

Current Operations

Jeju Air continues to operate as of 2026, flying an all-Boeing 737 fleet (plus two cargo-configured aircraft) on domestic South Korean routes and international services across China, Japan, Southeast Asia and Oceania, with codeshare partners including Scoot and Lion Air, and as a founding member of the Value Alliance grouping of Asia-Pacific low-cost carriers (not one of the three major global alliances). The airline's operations and reputation were significantly affected by the crash of Jeju Air Flight 2216 at Muan International Airport on 29 December 2024, in which a Boeing 737-800 crashed during a landing attempt after a suspected bird strike and gear malfunction, killing 179 of the 181 people on board — the deadliest aviation accident on South Korean soil. In the aftermath, Jeju Air cut scheduled capacity by roughly 10-15% and absorbed a wave of booking cancellations, while its CEO publicly committed to strengthened safety measures; the airline has stated the crash did not put it under severe financial distress, though the investigation into the accident's causes (including questions about airport infrastructure, such as a concrete structure near the runway) continued into 2025-2026.

Last verified 2026-09-02· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.

Serves These Profiled Airports10

Sample Routes3