This file photo taken July 29, 2020, shows planes parked at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 5 (Korea Bizwire) — Around 10 percent of the aircraft owned by South Korean airlines turned out to have an age of more than 20 years, the transport ministry said Thursday.
The nation’s ten airlines owned a total of 390 airplanes as of the end of last year, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
Of the total, the number of the planes with an age of more than 20 years stood at 45, or 11.5 percent. These older aircraft were owned by four airlines – Korean Air Lines Co., Asiana Airlines Inc., Jin Air Co. and Air Incheon Co.
By type, passenger planes accounted for 34 in the aged aircraft, while cargo planes accounted for 11. By airline, Korean Air has the largest number of aged planes (22).
The nation’s ten airlines recorded a total of 286,647 flights last year, of which the aged planes accounted for 29,735 or 10.4 percent of the total.
Korean-flagged planes made flights to 173 cities last year, with the aged planes being used for flights to 104 cities.
The aged planes were used mainly for short-haul routes, including 36 cities in Southeast Asia, 34 cities in China and 10 cities in Japan.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
