지역항공 모빌리티 관점에서 본 신생 지역항공사의 비즈니스모델과 지속가능성: 섬에어 사례를 중심으로 = The Business Model and Sustainability of a New Regional Air Mobility Carrier: The Case of SUM Air in South Korea

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study examines SUM Air, the first Korean carrier explicitly positioned as a regional air mobility (RAM) operator, to analyze the structure of its business model, its distinctiveness from incumbent carriers, and the conditions for its sustainable operation. A qualitative case study was conducted based on publicly available materials, including media reports and corporate and government sources. The business model was structured using the business model canvas and interpreted through the lenses of creating shared value, stakeholder theory, and public value. The findings show that SUM Air’s model is characterized by a value proposition centered on direct inter-regional connectivity and total travel-time savings rather than low fares, a niche advantage rooted in the fit between small turboprop aircraft and short-runway regional and island airports, partnerships oriented toward the regional ecosystem of local governments, airport operators, medical institutions, and the tourism industry, and a hybrid revenue structure combining fares, public support, and ancillary businesses. The case suggests that, rather than a hybrid on the full-service–low-cost carrier spectrum, this model can be conceptualized as a third type positioned on distinct dimensions of demand density and publicness. Its sustainability requires building a market base before the opening of a competing high-speed railway, synchronizing fleet and workforce expansion with demand growth, and converting discretionary subsidies into institutionalized public service contracts under aligned stakeholder relationships. Theoretical, managerial, and policy implications are discussed, with particular attention to essential mobility, medical and logistical accessibility, and tourism development in island communities.