South Korea’s Parata Air Launches First Commercial Flight

South Korea’s newest airline, Parata Air, has officially taken to the skies with its first scheduled flight on September 30. The inaugural service, operated with an Airbus A330-200, flew from Seoul Gimpo to Yangyang, marking the return of commercial operations at Yangyang Airport after the collapse of Fly Gangwon in May 2023.

Parata Air will begin its network with domestic routes, including six weekly flights between Jeju and Seoul Gimpo, along with daily services to Yangyang. The carrier plans to expand further at the start of the winter 2025/26 season when its Airbus A320-200 joins the fleet, boosting capacity on existing routes.

International expansion is also on the horizon. Starting in November, the airline intends to operate from Seoul Incheon, with routes to Vietnam’s Nha Trang and Da Nang, as well as Osaka Kansai and Tokyo Narita in Japan, lined up as its first overseas destinations.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) granted Parata Air its air transport business license in July and reissued its air operator’s certificate in September, paving the way for its debut.

Industry observers see Parata Air’s launch as a fresh opportunity to revive connectivity at Yangyang and strengthen South Korea’s competitive aviation market. With both widebody and narrowbody aircraft in its fleet, the start-up aims to carve out a niche serving domestic leisure routes and short-haul international markets, positioning itself as a successor to Fly Gangwon while targeting sustainable growth.

Related News: https://airguide.info/category/air-travel-business/airline-finance/

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com