Korean Air, Asiana, Aero K, Air Busan 'Service Evaluation' Very Excellent

[Financial News] Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Aero K, and Air Busan received 'Very Excellent' marks in the government's airline service evaluation. On the other hand, foreign airlines including Lufthansa were rated lower due to airspace congestion and other impacts from the Russia-Ukraine war. In the airport sector, Daegu Airport significantly raised its rating from the previous year to receive a 'Very Excellent' evaluation.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced these '2024 Aviation Traffic Service Evaluation Results' for 53 airlines (10 domestic, 43 foreign) and 6 domestic airports on the 29th. The evaluation is conducted annually with the aim of improving the rights of aviation traffic users and enhancing the service quality of airlines and airports.
In the domestic flight reliability evaluation, which includes airline punctuality, Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Aero K, and Air Busan received 'Very Excellent (A++)' ratings. Most airlines, such as Eastar Jet (B++→A+) and Air Seoul (C+→B+), showed improvements from the previous year.
However, for international flights, both domestic and foreign airlines received an average 'B grade' due to decreased punctuality caused by increased flights and airport/airspace congestion. Air Busan (A+), which mainly operates routes from local airports, received an A grade, but low-cost carriers (LCC) with many short-haul routes departing from Incheon Airport, such as Air Seoul (D++), Eastar Jet (C+), and Jin Air (C++), could not avoid lower ratings due to decreased punctuality.
Foreign airlines such as Lufthansa (E++), Air France (D+), and VietJet Air (C) were rated relatively low due to constraints on available air routes and airspace congestion resulting from the Russia-Ukraine war.
In the safety evaluation of domestic airlines, Jeju Air received an F grade due to the December 29th Muan Airport disaster last year. In the user satisfaction survey, all airlines except Air Seoul (Somewhat Satisfied), which received low scores in the information provision category, were rated as 'Satisfied'.
In the evaluation of 6 domestic airports, Daegu Airport raised its rating from B last year to A++ this year, receiving a 'Very Excellent' evaluation. Incheon Airport (A) and Jeju Airport (B++), which have high passenger volumes, maintained their ratings from last year.
In terms of convenience, Incheon Airport and Gimpo and Gimhae Airports, which are well-equipped with access transportation and medical and commercial facilities within the passenger terminal, were rated 'Very Excellent'.
The accuracy of baggage handling was rated 'Very Excellent' for all 6 airports, as they fell within the appropriate quality management range (less than 0.034 errors per 10,000). In the user satisfaction survey (sample size 27,384), all airports except Cheongju Airport (Somewhat Satisfied), which had low satisfaction with commercial facilities, were rated as 'Satisfied'.
Park Jun-sang, Director of the Aviation Industry Division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "Regarding the decline in safety ratings due to last year's accidents, we plan to lead the enhancement of domestic airline safety by actively promoting the recently prepared 'Aviation Safety Innovation Plan', which includes strengthening airline maintenance capabilities and expanding safety investments," adding, "From this year, we will further refine the evaluation by including airline delay rates and delayed times in the evaluation to induce improvements in aviation traffic services that meet the public's expectations."
hoya0222@fnnews.com Kim Dong-ho Reporter