Qantas flying Sydney-Seoul direct for first time since 1998

Qantas is flying direct between Seoul and Sydney for the first time in 24 years, making an already competitive route that much more so.

Qantas flight crew poses for a photo to celebrate the airline flying the Incheon-Sydney route on Dec. 10. [INCHEON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT CORPORATION]

Qantas is flying direct between Seoul and Sydney for the first time in 24 years, making an already competitive route that much more so.

Now, five carriers are offering direct fights connecting the two cities.

Qantas started flying its Incheon-Sydney route on Dec. 10, and will do so for every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, according to Incheon International Airport Corporation

With Qantas offering flights, five airlines fly the Incheon-Sydney route. The others are: Korean Air Lines, Asiana Airlines, T’way Air and Jetstar Airways, a subsidiary of Qantas.

Jetstar Airways started offering Incheon-Sydney flights in November, flying every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

Qantas resumed flights due to rising demand for travel to Sydney, Seoul and northern China regions, which can be reached through stopovers at Incheon. The carrier currently only provides direct flights to Shanghai in China.

Qantas stopped offering Gimpo-Sydney flights in February 1998, with international travel demand falling during the 1997 foreign exchange crisis. Passenger flight demand for the route fell 65 percent on year in 1997.

The airline plans to offer so-called kangaroo routes — routes with various stopovers — connecting Incheon with Sydney, South America and Antarctica.

“Qantas offering passenger flights in Korea for the first time in 24 years is more than just a carrier deciding to add routes to Incheon,” said Kim Kyung-wook, president of Incheon International Airport Corporation. “It means that Incheon International Airport proved its growth potential and importance for international travel.”

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]