South Korea’s low-cost carriers have cut approximately 900 round-trip flights and introduced measures including unpaid leave, as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to drive up fuel prices, industry officials said on Sunday.
The reductions came as jet fuel prices rose sharply following the US-Iran conflict, according to a report by the Emirates News Agency (WAM), which cited Yonhap News Agency.
With a number of airlines yet to finalise their June schedules, officials warned that the total number of flight reductions is expected to increase further.
Jeju Air, Jin Air slash international routes amid fuel price crisis triggered by US-Iran war
Jeju Air has cut 187 round-trip international flights – equivalent to 4 per cent of its total operations – on routes operating from Incheon, west of Seoul, to Bangkok, Singapore, and the Vietnamese cities of Da Nang and Phu Quoc, covering the months of May and June. The carrier has also suspended its Vientiane route for two months since late April.
Jin Air has cut 176 round-trip flights to destinations including Guam and Phu Quoc through the end of this month, with further reductions anticipated once its June schedule is confirmed.
Full-service carriers also affected
Among full-service carriers, Asiana Airlines has cut 27 round-trip flights across six routes, including services to Phnom Penh and Istanbul, through July, following the outbreak of the Middle East conflict.
Korean Air, meanwhile, has not yet adjusted its flight operations. The carrier said it “is closely monitoring the situation under an emergency management system.”
Jet fuel prices have surged to 2.5 times the levels seen before the outbreak of the conflict. The average Singapore jet fuel price – used as the benchmark for fuel surcharges – stood at $214.71 per barrel for the period between March 16 and April 15, a rise of 150 per cent from two months earlier.
Industry officials noted that budget airlines are under particular pressure due to their financial position relative to that of major carriers, leaving them with less capacity to absorb the rise in operating costs. The introduction of unpaid leave at some carriers signals the depth of the strain now being felt across the sector.
With June schedules still being finalised across the industry, the full scale of the disruption to South Korea’s aviation network remains unclear.
