Flagship carrier to extend its routes to Japan and China on demand rebound

[Courtesy of Korean Air Lines]

Korean Air Lines Co. will offer more routes to major tour destinations, including those in Japan, China, and Southeast Asia, while also resuming several routes following the Covid-19 suspensions.

The Korean flagship carrier announced on Wednesday that it will open a regular route between Incheon and Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam, starting November 26. The airline will offer seven flights a week departing at 3:45 p.m. from Incheon and arriving at 5:50 p.m. local time at Phu Quoc Island. The return flight departs at 9:20 p.m. in Vietnam and arrive at Incheon at 4:50 a.m. the next morning.

Korean Air Lines will resume its six routes to Japan and China after a 3-year suspension during the pandemic. Among these routes, three will head to small Japanese cities, while the remaining three will link to Chinese cities. The airline is scheduled to reopen flights between Incheon and Kagoshima as well as Incheon and Okayama on October 29, followed by Incheon and Niigata on October 31, offering three flights per week for each route. In China, the airline will also operate daily flights between Busan and Shanghai and Incheon and Xiamen.

Flights serving the existing routes are also expected to increase. In Japan, Korean Air Lines will increase the flights on the Incheon-Fukuoka and Incheon-Osaka routes from three to four flights a day, while the Incheon-Narita route will see an increase from two to four daily flights. Flights on the Incheon-Nagoya route will also increase from 14 to 17 weekly flights for a limited time.

Flights to Chinese destinations will also increase in response to China’s recent lifting of its ban on group tours to South Korea. Flights on Incheon-Beijing route will increase from seven to 18 per week, while flights on the Jeju-Beijing route will be increased from three to four times weekly.