SUM Air has placed a firm order for four new ATR72-600s directly from ATR - Avions de Transport Régional with purchase rights for a further four. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2028.

"The aircraft acquired through this agreement will be deployed to operate routes to island airports such as Ulleungdo, Baengnyeongdo, and Heuksando. The ATR 72-600, optimized for short-haul operations, will play a pivotal role in enabling Sum Air to deliver air services that connect islands and regions across Korea," chief executive officer Yongduck Choi said.

The start-up, which began scheduled operations on March 30, 2026, on the Seoul Gimpo-Jinju route, currently operates a single ATR72-600 dry-leased from Avation. However, Choi revealed in a recent interview with ch-aviation that the carrier's plan envisaged up to 25 turboprops by the end of the decade. SUM Air aims to add two more ATRs on lease in 2026.

For its part, ATR has been pushing into the South Korean market. While historically dominated by jet operators, the country's domestic market also covers many smaller airports, as well as remote islands where new airports are under construction, which the OEM sees as promising for its aircraft.