[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Hyun-seok] Jeju Air announced on the 2nd that it will resume flights on the Busan~Saipan route twice a week starting from the 30th.
The flight schedule for the Busan~Saipan route departs from Gimhae International Airport at 8 a.m. and arrives in Saipan at 1 p.m. From Saipan, the flight departs at 2 p.m. and arrives at Gimhae Airport at 5:20 p.m.
Jeju Air operated the Busan~Saipan route once a week for a total of 8 flights (4 round trips) starting from December 29 last year.
Saipan currently has a travel safety bubble agreement with South Korea, so travelers returning to the country after their trip are exempt from the 7-day self-quarantine. Jeju Air changed the Incheon~Saipan route from once a week to a 4-night 5-day schedule starting January 29, and as of the end of February, it has recorded a high load factor in the mid-90% range.
In addition to the Saipan route, as of the end of February, Jeju Air operates a total of 7 routes including ▲Incheon~Harbin, Weihai, Yantai (cargo route) ▲Incheon~Osaka ▲Incheon~Manila, Clark, Cebu, operating the most international routes among domestic low-cost carriers (LCCs).
Including the temporarily suspended routes due to the spread of COVID-19, ▲Incheon~Tokyo ▲Incheon~Guam, and the Busan~Saipan route resuming operations from March 30, Jeju Air has operated a total of 11 international routes so far this year.
The reason Jeju Air is actively expanding its international routes like this is a strategy to capture the expected explosive increase in demand for international flights in the post-COVID-19 era by operating these routes.
Jeju Air, which has secured regular route permits for over 40 international routes including China, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Oceania, plans not only to increase flights on currently operating routes but also to resume flights on routes that were suspended starting next month.
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