t’way Air (Trinity Airways)

A Korean low-cost airline with a widebody in Frankfurt – hardly anyone would have expected that a few years ago. t’way Air has made exactly that leap: from a regional airline with turboprops to a carrier flying Airbus A330s and Boeing 777-300ERs to Europe. Since September 2026 it has been called Trinity Airways, and right now it is especially interesting for spotters: old and new liveries are flying at the same time. Here you will learn how to recognize the airline and where to see it in Europe.

t’way Air at a glance

t’way Air is a South Korean low-cost airline. Its roots go back to 2005, when Hansung Airlines started with an ATR 72 on the Cheongju–Jeju route. The small regional airline ran into trouble during the financial crisis and ceased operations in 2009. After a restructuring, it resumed in 2010 under the name t’way Air – this time with two Boeing 737-800s and the classic budget-carrier concept. The first scheduled flight under the new name went from Seoul-Gimpo to Jeju in September 2010. Bangkok followed in October 2011 as its first international destination.

The name t’way stands for “together, today and tomorrow.” In the years that followed, the airline grew mainly on routes to Japan, China and Southeast Asia and became one of South Korea’s largest low-cost carriers. Its main bases are the two Seoul airports, Gimpo and Incheon, as well as Daegu in the southeast of the country.

What sets t’way apart from most other budget carriers is its move into long-haul. The first Airbus A330 arrived in 2022, and in December 2022 Seoul–Sydney launched as its first real long-haul route. Europe followed in 2024 and Vancouver in 2025. How this model differs from the classic low-cost principle is explained in the article How low-cost carriers work.

From t’way to Trinity Airways

In 2025, the Daemyung Sono Group took control of t’way; the Korean competition authority approved it in June 2025. The group is known in South Korea mainly for hotels and resorts and renamed itself Sono Trinity Group in May 2026. It had already announced the new airline name in September 2025, and shareholders approved it in March 2026.

On September 10, 2026, it was time: t’way Air has been flying as Trinity Airways ever since. The first flight under the new brand went from Daegu to Jeju. On September 4, the airline had already switched its radio callsign from “TEEWAY” to “SONOROUS.” The codes TW and TWB, on the other hand, have stayed the same.

With the new name, the airline wants to position itself somewhat more upmarket: the group talks about a premium claim at still-low prices, better service on long-haul and a link to its own hotels and resorts.

Codes and callsign

• IATA code TW: appears in the flight number, so on the departure board, the ticket and the airport’s flight schedule.
• ICAO code TWB: appears in the air traffic control flight plan and on most flight trackers.
• Callsign SONOROUS: this is how the crew has identified itself on the radio since September 4, 2026. Before that it was TEEWAY.

If you go through older photos, logbooks or radio recordings, you will still come across TEEWAY. That is not a problem for matching – what counts are the ICAO code and the registration.

How t’way came to Europe

The fact that a Korean low-cost airline now lands in Frankfurt, Paris and Rome has to do with one of the biggest mergers in Asian aviation. Korean Air took over Asiana Airlines and completed the acquisition in December 2024. On many routes between Seoul and Europe, the two had previously been the only operators – after the merger there would have been no competition left there.

The European Commission therefore approved it only with conditions. Korean Air had to make room for a competitor on several Europe routes. t’way took on that role: the airline received the connections to Paris, Rome, Barcelona and Frankfurt, plus A330-200s from Korean Air’s fleet to operate them. Before that, t’way had already launched to Zagreb in May 2024, which is in the schedule seasonally.

Destination	Airport	Start	Note
Zagreb	ZAG	May 2024	Seasonal; first European destination
Rome	FCO	August 2024	Part of the merger conditions
Paris	CDG	August 2024	Part of the merger conditions
Barcelona	BCN	2024	Part of the merger conditions
Frankfurt	FRA	October 2024	Only German destination

All Europe flights depart from Seoul-Incheon, the big hub of Korean long-haul. You can find out more about the airport on the page about Seoul-Incheon Airport. How often each destination is served changes with the schedule – so always plan your trip using the current arrival times.

The fleet: 737s for Asia, widebodies for long-haul

In fall 2026, t’way operates around 50 aircraft. The exact number varies by source and cutoff date, because new 737 MAX 8s are arriving and older 737-800s are leaving the fleet. The breakdown is clear, though:

Type	Role	Origin	Spotter note
Boeing 737-800	Short and medium-haul in Asia	Backbone since 2010	Does not come to Europe
Boeing 737 MAX 8	Short and medium-haul	New arrivals since 2022	More on order
Airbus A330-300	Long-haul and busy Asia routes	First aircraft from 2022, taken over used	Around 350 to 380 seats depending on configuration
Airbus A330-200	Long-haul, mainly Europe	Taken over from Korean Air	Shorter than the -300
Boeing 777-300ER	Long-haul	Two aircraft from Korean Air	Largest type in the fleet
Airbus A330-900	Long-haul	On order	Deliveries planned from 2026

The first A330-300s were secondhand and initially flew only domestically between Gimpo and Jeju before moving to international routes. With the Europe expansion, the A330-200s and the two 777-300ERs arrived from Korean Air. That means a low-cost airline operates three different widebody types – an unusual mix for spotters. The manufacturers are Airbus and Boeing.

A330-200, A330-300 or 777? How to tell them apart

In Europe, you will almost always meet t’way with a widebody. Which type it is shows in the engines, landing gear and length.

If you are unsure between the A330 and A340, the article A330 or A340? helps. And for the smaller siblings on the Asia routes, you will find the differences between the 737-800 and MAX in the guide Telling the Boeing 737 Original, Classic, NG and MAX apart.

How to recognize t’way and Trinity Airways

During the transition there are two looks. The new Trinity Airways livery is easy to recognize: the tail is gray with a triangle of pink, yellow and blue on it. The name appears in large letters on the forward fuselage, and a gray stripe runs along the belly. The livery matches the new uniforms in gray and rose gold.

The old t’way livery is recognizable by the lowercase “t’way” titles, which give the name its typical shape. The aircraft are being repainted step by step – when the last aircraft in the old look will disappear has not yet been decided. How airlines handle such transitions is explained in the article When airlines change their design; you can place mixed forms of old and new looks correctly with the guide to hybrid liveries.

The registration begins with HL, like all South Korean aircraft, followed by four digits, for example HL8501 on one of the A330-300s. How the system behind registrations works is explained in Understanding aircraft registrations.

Spotting t’way in Europe

In Germany, Frankfurt is your destination. It is the only German airport in the airline’s network. Depending on the schedule, the aircraft from Seoul-Incheon lands with an A330 or 777-300ER, stays on the ground for a few hours and then flies back to Korea. When long-haul flights from Asia typically arrive is covered in the article When long-haul flights land and take off in Europe.

Frankfurt has several well-known spots. A good starting point is the Zeppelinheim viewing platform. Which location suits which runway direction in use is covered in the Frankfurt spotting guide, and everything about the airport itself is on the page about Frankfurt Airport.

Outside Germany, you can see the Koreans at Paris-Charles de Gaulle, at Rome-Fiumicino, at Barcelona and seasonally at Zagreb. If you are planning a spotting trip anyway, the guides to Paris-CDG, Rome-Fiumicino and Barcelona will help.

t’way in the Korean market

South Korea has quite a few low-cost airlines. The largest is Jeju Air, which, like t’way, flies the Boeing 737 on Asia routes but does not fly to Europe. Jin Air and Air Busan belong to the Korean Air and Asiana sphere. Air Premia, on the other hand, has bet on the Boeing 787 and long-haul from the start.

t’way sits right in between: the airline has its roots in the budget-carrier business with the 737, but flies widebodies as far as Europe, Australia and Canada. With the new name and the premium claim, it moves a bit further away from the classic low-cost model.

Common mix-ups

• Thinking t’way and Trinity Airways are two airlines – it is the same company, just with a new name since September 2026.
• Mixing up TEEWAY and SONOROUS – both are t’way; the callsign changed on September 4, 2026.
• Logging an A330-200 as Korean Air – the aircraft come from Korean Air but fly for t’way. The livery decides.
• Expecting a t’way 737 in Europe – only A330s and 777-300ERs come to Europe.
• Treating the A330-200 and A330-300 as the same – the -300 is visibly longer, and both fly with t’way.
• Thinking t’way is a network carrier – despite long-haul, it remains a low-cost airline with no alliance.

Conclusion

t’way Air is one of the most unusual low-cost airlines you can see in Europe. It flies three widebody types, owes its Europe routes to a major merger and has carried a new name since September 2026. The transition period is what makes it interesting: if you log registration, type and livery carefully now, you will later have both chapters of the airline in your logbook.