Parata Air adds fifth aircraft, A330-200, to bolster long-haul operations

Parata Air held a ceremony at Incheon International Airport on Saturday to mark the induction of its fifth aircraft, an A330-200 (HL8768), with executives and staff in attendance.

CEO Yoon Cheol-min led the event, which brought together employees to celebrate the new addition and reaffirm the airline's commitment to safe operations.

The fifth aircraft arrived in South Korea on July 24. Configured with 18 business smart class seats and 242 economy class seats for a total of 260, the wide-body A330-200 is suited for medium- and long-haul routes. Parata Air expects the aircraft to strengthen the stability of its international operations and play a key role in preparations for North American routes, which it is targeting to launch in the first half of next year.

Since beginning operations last year, Parata Air has consistently expanded its international network, adding routes to Japan and Vietnam and most recently launching services to Sapporo and Hanoi.

The airline is also working to introduce in-flight Wi-Fi to sharpen its competitiveness on long-haul routes. It plans to deploy a low-earth-orbit satellite internet system using the same technology as Starlink, giving passengers speeds and reliability sufficient for web browsing, messaging and video streaming.

"Adding our fifth aircraft is more than just one more plane — it is an important milestone as Parata Air reaches toward a wider sky," CEO Yoon said. "We will make safety our top priority and earn the trust of our customers, while pressing ahead without delay on our North American route launch in the first half of next year, so that we can grow into a new airline that represents South Korea."

Meanwhile, Parata Air transported about 4,678 tons of freight on major international routes to Japan and Southeast Asia in the first half of this year, consistently expanding its cargo business. The second quarter alone accounted for 2,723 tons — a 39.3 percent increase from the previous quarter.

A breakdown of cargo performance by route from January through June shows 3,032 tons on the Incheon–Narita route, 1,523 tons on the Incheon–Da Nang route and 123 tons on the Incheon–Osaka route.