Korea-Czech Air Route Cooperation, Official Signing of 'Air Services Agreement'

Other European Union Member State Airlines Also Allowed to Operate Korea-Czech Route

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 24th, Kim Tae-jin, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Czech Republic, officially signed the "Air Services Agreement between the Republic of Korea and the Czech Republic" at the Czech Ministry of Transport with Karel Havl??ek, Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech Republic and Minister of Industry, Trade and Transport.

This agreement will come into effect on the 1st, two months after both countries complete their internal procedures for ratification and notify each other. There are no additional procedures on the Korean side after signing, but the Czech side will notify after parliamentary ratification.

The revision of this air services agreement is significant in that it strengthens aviation security cooperation regulations and relaxes airline designation requirements, thereby establishing an institutional foundation allowing airlines from European Union member countries other than the Czech Republic to operate Korea-Czech routes. The two countries first signed the air services agreement in 1990, and Korean Air and Czech Airlines have operated the Incheon-Prague route. Currently, operations have been suspended due to the COVID-19 situation.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "Although global COVID-19 spread has made air operations very difficult at present, the government plans to make efforts to resume flights between the two countries once the COVID-19 situation stabilizes."

Meanwhile, Korea has signed agreements with a total of 89 countries, including the newly signed Korea-Czech air services agreement, of which 84 agreements are currently in effect.