The ULD manager teamed up with South-Korean low-cost airline T’way Air, providing unit load device (ULD) management services as the carrier growths its fleet. To start with, Jettainer
provided ULDs are loaded only with passenger luggage. The carriage of air cargo will happen once larger aircraft have been added to the fleet, serving international routes.
Currently, T’way Air concentrates on serving domestic Korean routes, operating Boeing 737-800s. Its most important sales driver are flights between its home base Gimpo International Airport in
Seoul and Jeju Airport, located on a touristic much sought-after island bearing the same name.
Now, the 2010 founded airline’s plans go far beyond domestic and regional services, making the Asian carrier interesting for ULD service providers such as Jettainer.
Long-haul ops coming next
The plans foresee that the Korean airline will lease three A330 passenger aircraft and grow this sub-fleet to 10 units come 2025. They will increasingly fly to international destinations once the
first A330s have joined the fleet. Then it will target destinations located within the greater Asian region, such as Singapore or Vietnam, but also Honolulu, Australia. Even Croatia is standing
on the Korean budget carrier’s future flight plan. "We expect a lot from this fleet expansion, because carrying air freight on long-haul routes becomes an important driver of the airline’s
operational revenues – with us delivering cost efficiencies," says Ms. Kitamura. At Jettainer, she is head of Global Tender Management and was a key driver of the service agreement now inked
with the Korean company, valid for a term of 5 years.
For this to work smoothly, containers and pallets needed to be filled and loaded aboard a jetliner, must be available in time and in sufficient quantities at the various stations serviced by the
airline. The prerequisite is close coordination between the two partners and an IT system that identifies the movement of all ULDs, enabling their allocation according to need and location.
T'way has opted for sustainable and cost-efficient ULD solutions
Traditionally, companies have managed this in-house, but the trend is to hand over this specific business to an external contractor. So done in the case of T'way and Jettainer.
“We are putting our ULD management services in the best hands by opting for Jettainer’s many years of experience and professional services. As we grow our fleet now and in the future, we are
deliberately embracing sustainable and cost-efficient ULD solutions so this partnership is an excellent fit with our constant efforts to increase innovation, cut costs, and enhance
efficiency,” remarked Chief Cargo External Affairs Director Sung-sup Park at T’way Air.
Door opener
T'way Air is the ULD manager’s second customer in the APAC region, followed by Philippine budget carrier Cebu Pacific.
And more are to come, believes Sayaka Kitamura. “In addition to the commercial aspect, this agreement with the Korean airline also serves to build confidence in the Asian growth market. It
should make it easier for us to open additional doors in the APAC region," she expects.
The main person responsible for knocking on airlines’ doors is Edward Neo. Since 01DEC21 he is General Manager Sales APAC of Jettainer and based in Singapore.
Heiner Siegmund
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