The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 2nd that it intends to operate 4,075 weekly flights on 204 international routes by the end of September.
This is a subsequent measure following the government’s measures to stimulate domestic demand, and is 88.2% of the level in 2019, before Corona 19.
Compared to last winter, the number of routes increased by 28.3% from 159, and the number of flights increased by 50.3% from 2,711 times a week.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is focusing on normalizing routes between Japan and China, which accounted for half of all international flights before the corona crisis.
Through this, it intends to recover early to a level of 92% on Japanese routes and 87% on Chinese routes.
The Incheon-Prague, Incheon-Zurich, Incheon-Madrid, and Gimhae-Kaohsiung routes, which had been suspended since the coronavirus, will resume operations, and the Incheon-New York and Gimpo-Beijing (Daxing) routes will be launch anew.
In particular, Incheon International Airport, which is the main route in Japan and China, Narita (144 → 168 times per week), Osaka (143 → 168 times per week), Shanghai (2 times per week → 88 times), Qingdao ( 12.5 times → 137 times per week) ) routes, etc. are increased.
Flights from regional airports such as Gimhae-Beijing (14 times a week), Daegu-Shanghai (5 times a week), Cheongju-Osaka (7 times a week), and Muan-Shanghai (2 times a week) will also resume operations.
When flights resume and increase, the number of flights to Northeast Asia is expected to improve to 89%, Southeast Asia 91%, Americas 92%, and Europe 97% compared to 2019.
The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs intends to actively approve when airlines apply for a temporary increase in line with the recovery of regional air demand, so that sufficient supply can be achieved.
In the case of local airports (Gimhae, Daegu, Muan, Yangyang, and Cheongju), landing fees are waived for up to 16 flights per airline for each airport if the foreign boarding rate is 50% or more for regular as well as irregular flights. Incentives are also provided.
The local government also plans to strengthen support for irregular flights, such as support for new route operations and support for losses when the load factor is below a certain level.
The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs intends to implement various transit travel programs taking into account transit time and travel types of transit passengers, and to attract short-term transit tourists through promotions.
Director General of Aviation Policy at the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs Kim Young-guk said, “We will pursue various measures together with local governments that can lead to boosting domestic demand by expanding international flights, while continuing to strive to increase convenience for local residents by expanding local international routes.”
Correspondent Kim Hong-cheol khc@idaegu.co.kr
