Domestic long- and medium-haul low-cost carrier Air Premia announced on the 14th that, for the first time since its establishment last year, the proportion of long-haul route passengers surpassed that of medium- and short-haul routes. The company analyzed this as a result of its long-haul-focused strategy, including the launch of new routes to San Francisco, United States, and increased flights to North America.
Last year, the proportion of long-haul route passengers for Air Premia reached 56%, an increase of 8.6 percentage points from 47.4% in the previous year. In terms of passenger numbers, of the total of 765,503 passengers last year, 428,600 were long-haul passengers. By route, Los Angeles recorded the highest number of passengers at 182,400, surpassing medium- and short-haul routes such as Narita (164,800) and Bangkok (159,100).
Following were New York (124,000), San Francisco (61,400), Barcelona (35,100), Honolulu (19,400), Dhaka (13,000), and Oslo (6,000). The number of passengers on other routes was counted at around 300. Air Premia noted that last year's passenger load factor stood at 86.1%.
The company also reported an increase in cargo transport volume last year. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's aviation information portal system, Air Premia's total cargo transport volume last year was 37,422 tons, a 23.9% increase compared to the previous year. Excluding luggage and mail, the net cargo volume totaled 23,424 tons.
Air Premia operated a total of 2,783 flights last year with five aircraft. The customer who used Air Premia the most last year flew 58 one-way flights, and there were 2,623 infant passengers under 24 months who are not included in the passenger count.
An official from Air Premia said, "Last year was the year Air Premia firmly established itself as a specialized long-haul international airline," adding, "This year, we plan to diversify our routes further by launching new services to Asia and North America."