Jeju Air Returns to Profit After Five Quarters, Citing More Next-Gen Jets

Jeju Air returned to an operating profit for the first time in five quarters.

The airline said Monday it posted fourth-quarter 2025 revenue of 474.6 billion won and operating profit of 18.6 billion won. Revenue rose 5.4% from a year earlier, and operating results swung to a profit.

For all of 2025, revenue fell 18.4% from the previous year to 1.5799 trillion won. The company reported an operating loss of 110.9 billion won.

Jeju Air attributed the fourth-quarter improvement to a larger share of next-generation aircraft. In the fourth quarter, it added two purchased Boeing 737-8 jets and returned one older aircraft, lowering the fleet’s average age.

The shift helped cut fuel costs. Cumulative fuel expenses for the first through third quarters of 2025 were about 19% lower than in the same period of 2024, the company said.

Jeju Air said it will focus this year on strengthening fundamentals. It plans to introduce seven next-generation aircraft, continue reducing older planes, and sell assets to manage liquidity and financial ratios.

The airline expects solid results to continue in the first quarter. According to the Transport Ministry’s aviation information portal, Jeju Air carried about 1.176 million passengers in January, up 33.5% from about 881,000 a year earlier and 2.6% higher than January 2024’s roughly 1.146 million.

A Jeju Air official said the company is centering its strategy on disciplined management to respond to growing uncertainty, including wider swings in oil prices and exchange rates, a reshaping aviation market and intensifying competition. The official said Jeju Air will work to improve operational stability and efficiency to build a sustainable profit structure and boost performance.

* This article has been translated by AI.

Oh Jooseok