S. Korean air gateways renew international flights June, including Gimpo-Haneda route

[Photo by MK DB]

South Korean and Japan will restore Gimpo-Haneda route, the busiest and shortest flight route between the two capitals suspended since March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Korea will resume 136 flights on 22 international routes, including the Gimpo-Haneda route, from June, according to Korea Airports Corporation (KAC) Tuesday.

Five airports - Gimpo, Gimhae, Jeju, Daegu and Yangyang – will reopen their international routes from early June.

Gimpo-Haneda route, connecting capitals Seoul and Tokyo, had served more than 2 million passengers before the pandemic. The route is expected to be resumed on June 8. Korea and Japan have agreed to resume the route with Korean Air Lines, Asiana Airlines, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, according to KAC President Yoon Hyeong-jung.

Other local airports in Korea are also expanding international flights. Gimhae airport in Busan is to resume 76 international flights on 13 routes from next month, including flight services to Fukuoka, Bangkok, and Hanoi. Deagu airport will resume 13 flights on 4 routes – Yanji, Danang, Bangkok, and Cebu. Jeju airport will offer flight services to Singapore and Bangkok, and Yangyang airport to Bangkok and Clark in the Philippines.

KAC estimated this year¡¯s international passenger to reach 2.52 million, excluding those traveling via Incheon international airport, with the normalization of international flights at local airports. That would be only 12.4 percent of 20.32 million in 2019, before the Covid outbreak.

It expected the international air travel demand to return to the pre-pandemic level in the second half of 2023 or in the first half of 2024.

Separately, the KAC said it plans to host the Airport Council International (ACI)'s annual meeting in the southern port city of Busan in 2025. The ACI is organization of airport authorities aimed at unifying industry practices for airport standards. It serves some 1,950 airports in 185 countries.

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