t'way Air (TW, Daegu) took delivery of its first B737-8 and inducted it into service on December 24, 2022, ch-aviation research has revealed.
HL8513 (msn 62900) was ferried from IATA!BOE via Anchorage Ted Stevens and Sapporo Chitose to Seoul Gimpo on December 16-17, 2022, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows. It is currently deployed exclusively on the domestic route connecting Seoul Gimpo and Busan. The airline has yet to file long-term schedules for the B737 MAX, although its earlier plans suggested that it would be using the type on medium- and long-haul routes to destinations such as Denpasar and Singapore Changi.
The South Korean low-cost carrier originally planned to start inducting the B737 MAX in the second quarter of 2019 only to defer them due to the type's global grounding and then due to the COVID-19 pandemic. South Korea, as well as its key international markets such as Taiwan, Japan, and China, were among the last countries in the world to lift border restrictions.
The aircraft has joined T'way Air's fleet comprising twenty-six B737-800s and three recently inducted A330-300s. The latter are used on a newly opened route to Sydney Kingsford Smith.
