T'way Air to relocate headquarters to Daegu

T'way Air will relocate its headquarters to Daegu, focusing flights and business in the city.

T'way Air's planes are stationed at Gimpo International Airport. [T'WAY AIR]

T’way Air will relocate its headquarters to Daegu, focusing flights and business in the city.

The city of Daegu announced Monday it will sign a memorandum of understanding with T'way Air on Tuesday, agreeing to move the carrier’s headquarters to Daegu.

The carrier is currently headquartered at Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul.

It will relocate after a new airport opens in Daegu in 2028. Since 2014, various administrations have been working on relocating the Daegu International Airport and its military airbase, known as K-2, as nearby citizens complained of aircraft noise. The airport will be relocated in the boundaries between Uiseong and Gunwi counties in Daegu.

T’way Air used Daegu International Airport as its hub airport and will use the to-be-opened airport as its hub.

T’way Air will offer more passenger flights to and from Daegu, especially focusing on mid- to long-range routes. It will add more cargo flights and hire more Daegu-based job seekers.

Daegu will help the carrier gain approval to offer more Daegu-based flights.

“The city of Daegu will do its best to support T’way Air, a local airline that will use the new airport as its hub, so it can grow into one of Korea’s major airlines,” said Hong Joon-pyo, mayor of Daegu.

According to Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute, T’way Air relocating its headquarters to Daegu is expected to create 830 new jobs and an additional 829 billion won ($638.5 million) of economic value a year.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]