Jeju Air

Jeju Air (제주항공, IATA code 7C) is a South Korean low-cost airline named after Jeju Island. It is headquartered in Jeju City and Jeju International Airport is its largest base; Incheon, Gimpo and Busan are its other main airports. The Aekyung Group is its largest shareholder. Jeju Air was the first Korean low-cost carrier to list on the Korea Exchange, following an initial public offering in 2015.

The company was set up on 25 January 2005 as a joint venture between Aekyung and the Jeju provincial government, and received its business licence that August. It took its first aircraft on 2 May 2006 and flew its first commercial service, Jeju to Gimpo, on 5 June 2006. Within a few years the airline shifted its growth to international routes; by 2018 it carried 7.3 million international passengers against 4.7 million domestic. In 2016 it was a founding member of the Value Alliance, a grouping of Asia-Pacific low-cost airlines. Between 2020 and 2024 it raised new capital three times to see it through the pandemic and after.

How it sells

Jeju Air follows the standard low-cost pattern of tiered fares. Its BASIC fare carries no free checked bag, while the STANDARD and BIZ LITE fares include a checked allowance. Every passenger may bring a cabin bag and a personal item on board within a combined weight limit. Destinations include domestic Korean routes and international services to Japan, China, South-East Asia and Oceania, including Guam and Saipan.

Fleet

The airline flies only the Boeing 737. Its older aircraft are 737-800s, many of them leased, and since 2023 it has been adding the 737-8 (MAX 8). The Seoul Economic Daily reported on 23 March 2026 that Jeju Air was operating 44 passenger aircraft, ten of them 737-8s, with seven 737-8 deliveries planned for 2026, and that six new jets had joined and two leased aircraft more than 20 years old had left during 2025. CAPA reported the 13th 737-8 delivery on 4 August 2026. The same report recorded two 737-800s returned to lessors in November 2025 and February 2026, and two aircraft sold in March and April 2026. Published fleet totals from these sources do not fully agree, so the figure on this page carries a date and a source.

Recent direction

In 2026 the company has said its focus is profitability and financial soundness rather than growth. It reported a return to quarterly profit in the fourth quarter of 2025.