Asiana Resumes Incheon-Nanjing Flights After 105 Days... Opening Korea-China Air Route

On the 2nd, one day before the preliminary bidding for Asiana Airlines, an Asiana Airlines passenger plane is taking off from the runway at Incheon International Airport. According to the aviation industry and investment banks, Kumho Industrial and the sales advisory firm Credit Suisse Securities (CS Securities) will conduct the preliminary bidding for the sale of Asiana Airlines on the 3rd. However, the mood of the acquisition battle is lukewarm. The decline in the growth rate of the aviation industry and the deterioration of Asiana Airlines' financial structure are the biggest obstacles. Photo by Kim Hyun-min, Yeongjongdo kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyewon] Asiana Airlines announced on the 12th that it has resumed flights on the Incheon~Nanjing route in China. This comes 105 days after suspending operations due to the impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

By operating the Incheon~Nanjing route, Asiana Airlines became the first airline to reopen the air route between Korea and China, which had been restricted since the end of March due to Chinese government quarantine measures amid COVID-19. The Incheon~Nanjing flight operates once a week on Sundays, departing Incheon at 12:20 PM and returning from Nanjing at 2:50 PM.

Asiana Airlines has been making efforts to expand its China routes in line with the growing exchange atmosphere between the two countries, following the agreement between the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Civil Aviation Administration of China to expand Korea-China flight routes. In particular, Asiana Airlines has contributed to essential personnel exchanges between countries through aggressive charter flight operations. In May and June, it operated charter flights between Incheon Airport and Nanjing Airport twice for LG Display and LG Chem employees.

Asiana Airlines plans to continue making every effort to resume operations on other routes within China. An Asiana Airlines official said, "We are doing our best to resume flights that were blocked due to COVID-19," adding, "We hope that the resumption of the Incheon~Nanjing route will serve as an opportunity to revitalize the aviation market."

For efficient management of its sales network in China, Asiana Airlines divided China into six regions this year: North China, Northeast, Shandong, East China, Central South, and West, appointing regional managers to oversee each area.