Jin Air, a low-cost carrier under Korean Air, has informed 50 newly hired cabin crew members that they will start work in the fall instead of this week as originally planned, citing "emergency management conditions" caused by the Middle East-driven energy crisis.
The airline hired 100 cabin crew members in the first half of the year, half of whom have already begun work. Despite the last-minute delay, Jin Air said it remains committed to honoring the hires.
The carrier has already introduced a series of emergency cost-cutting measures, including an indefinite delay in annual safety bonus payments for employees. It has also cut 176 round-trip flights through this month to reduce fuel costs, trimming routes to destinations such as Guam and Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam. Further reductions are expected once June schedules are finalized.
Low-cost carriers, whose overseas networks are heavily concentrated on Southeast Asian leisure routes, have cut around 1,000 international round-trip flights over the past two months amid the Middle East conflict.
The pressure has intensified as Singapore jet fuel prices, the benchmark for Asia's aviation industry, surged to an average of $214.71 per barrel between March 16 and April 15, about 2.5 times higher than prewar levels.
Airlines are increasingly concerned that higher fuel surcharges could weaken summer travel demand as operating costs continue to climb.
Other budget carriers have also begun introducing unpaid leave and other belt-tightening measures. Jeju Air, the country's largest low-cost carrier, began accepting applications this week for voluntary unpaid leave among cabin crew members for June.
T'way Air introduced unpaid leave for cabin crew for May and June, while Aero K, a smaller budget airline, offered voluntary unpaid leave to all employees for May.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor held an emergency meeting late last month to assess postwar labor market conditions and worried that the airline industry could face broader restructuring if the conflict drags on.
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