Jin Air reeling from prolonged gov't sanctions

Jin Air has been struggling with continued government sanctions as it is unable to acquire new flight routes and expand its fleet, according to industry officials Wednesday. The deteriorating ties between Korea and Japan has also made things go from bad to worse for the Korean Air-affiliated budget carrier as it is losing money on its Japan routes due to the falling number of Koreans traveling to the neighboring country, they said. In August 2018, the ministry banned Jin Air from adding new flight routes, acquiring new planes and operating unscheduled flights, following revelations of Hanjin Group heiress Cho Hyun-min's board membership. The ban was put in place after the ministry found Jin Air had broken the transport law by allowing Cho ― a U.S. citizen ― to serve on the company's board of directors between 2010 and 2016. The sanctions prevented the nation's second-biggest budget carrier from acquiring new licenses to open flight routes in February, including one between Incheon and Ulaanbaatar as well as Busan and Singapore. In May last year, it was also prevented from bidding for a new route linking Incheon and China. But the transport ministry has no plans of repealing the 17-month long sanctions against Jin Air anytime soon.<br/>