[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] As the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) rapidly spreads mainly in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions, airlines are reducing flights to and from Daegu International Airport.
According to the industry on the 23rd, Korean Air decided to suspend the Daegu-Jeju route (twice daily) from today until the 24th. In addition, domestic flights transferring to international flights at Incheon International Airport will also be suspended for two days.
Asiana Airlines plans to reduce the Daegu-Jeju route from three times daily to once daily on the 24th, and suspend operations from the 25th until the 9th of next month.
Low-cost carriers (LCCs) are doing the same. Jeju Air will not operate the Daegu-Jeju route from the 24th to the 29th, and Air Busan will also suspend the Daegu-Jeju route starting from the 24th.
The suspension of flights is not limited to domestic routes. Jeju Air and Air Busan plan to suspend the Daegu-Taipei route starting today, and T'way Air will suspend the Daegu-Cebu route from the 26th.
The industry expects this suspension of flights to continue for the time being, as the boarding rate itself has decreased due to the COVID-19 situation. Following Gimpo, Jeju, and Gimhae Airports, Daegu Airport, which was one of the four major profitable airports in Korea, is also expected to face a decline in passengers for the time being.
An industry official said, "As seen during last year's boycott of travel to Japan, regional airports tend to be heavily affected by social issues like COVID-19 because of the high proportion of group tourists," adding, "With international flights followed by domestic flights being successively reduced, the number of passengers is expected to drop significantly for the time being."
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