SUM Air Signs MOU with Gyeongsangnam-do, Jinju City, Sacheon City, and Korea Airports Corporation to Promote Sacheon Airport Development

Enhancing Interregional Connectivity and Driving Regional Economic Vitality

SUM Air Co., Ltd. (CEO Yongduck Choi), a regional airline specializing in small aircraft operations, signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on April 18 with Gyeongsangnam-do Province (Governor Park Wan-soo), Jinju City (Mayor Cho Kyu-il), Sacheon City (Mayor Park Dong-sik), and Korea Airports Corporation (Sacheon Airport Director Lee Hwan-joo). This partnership aims to expand regional air connectivity and promote balanced national development.

This MOU marks SUM Air’s second partnership with a metropolitan government since obtaining its Air Carrier License for small aircraft from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) in February 2025, signaling the company’s full-scale push to build a regional air network.

Under the agreement, the parties will collaborate on:

• Promoting and operating direct routes such as Sacheon–Gimpo, Sacheon–Jeju, and Sacheon–Ulleung

• Supporting the revitalization of Sacheon Airport through administrative and financial cooperation

• Providing operational facilities to enable stable and sustained flight services by SUM Air

SUM Air is a regional air mobility (RAM) carrier focused on connecting cities and islands, as well as underserved inland routes. The company has signed a contract to introduce eight brand-new ATR72-600 aircraft (72-seat configuration), manufactured by ATR, a subsidiary of Airbus, at the Toulouse Airbus plant. The first unit is expected to be delivered via lease in the second half of 2025.

The airline is preparing to launch several domestic island and inland routes, including Gimpo–Ulsan, Ulsan–Jeju, Gimpo–Pohang/Gyeongju, and Pohang/Gyeongju–Jeju. Sacheon, in particular, is expected to play a pivotal role in SUM Air’s plans to strengthen aviation connectivity, including a future route to Ulleung Island, contributing to both transportation convenience and regional economic growth.

Governor Park Wan-soo of Gyeongsangnam-do stated, “We will strategically support the development of Sacheon Airport as a central hub for Korea’s southern coastal region. I believe SUM Air’s operations will be a key driver of revitalization for the airport.”

SUM Air CEO Yongduck Choi added, “Our mission is to realize regional air mobility in Korea. Through our collaboration with Gyeongsangnam-do and Korea Airports Corporation, we aim not only to provide safe and efficient air services, but also to actively contribute to public aviation needs, including emergency medical transport.”

Notably, SUM Air is the first airline to obtain a license under the revised 2024 policy by MOLIT, which increased the maximum allowable seating for small aircraft from 50 to 80 seats.

The incoming ATR72-600 aircraft feature a single-class economy layout with 72 seats and a 29-inch seat pitch. They are equipped with the latest twin turboprop engines (TPW: Turbo Propeller Engine), offering a combination of efficiency, safety, and environmental performance.

Importantly, even at Maximum Landing Weight (MLW), the aircraft’s Actual Landing Distance (ALD) is 640 meters, making it ideally suited for short runways such as those at Ulleung Airport (under construction) and the proposed airports on Heuksan and Baengnyeong Islands (approx. 1,200 meters).