"Protecting Busan's Sky Route Firmly" ... Air Busan and Busan Community Efforts Open Gimhae Airport Sky Route!

Byeongseok Ahn, CEO of Air Busan.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Doo-yeol] As the government’s quarantine policies are being eased one after another, the long-stagnant aviation and tourism industries are regaining vitality.

Gimhae Airport has resumed the Busan-Qingdao route, the first domestic airport route allowing arrivals and departures, and restored routes to major tourist destinations such as Guam and Saipan.

Air Busan is the only airline operating all international flights departing from Gimhae Airport, having worked to maintain Gimhae Airport and reopen the previously closed air routes.

Despite the ‘Incheon Airport Entry Centralization Policy’ after the COVID-19 outbreak, Air Busan has operated a total of 186 international flights from Gimhae Airport, transporting 17,108 passengers.

To normalize Gimhae Airport early, Air Busan actively proposed to quarantine authorities and related ministries ▲expansion of international routes ▲exemption from self-quarantine for overseas arrivals ▲permission to operate more than twice a week.

Recently, visible results were achieved with approvals such as ▲twice-weekly flights to Guam and Saipan ▲exemption from self-quarantine for overseas arrivals who have completed vaccination.

Air Busan CEO Ahn Byung-seok stated, “It was difficult to reopen the Busan air route, but maintaining it was even harder,” indicating the challenging situation.

After the COVID-19 crisis, Air Busan resumed the first local airport tourist route, Busan-Guam, in November last year, but ▲the emergence of Omicron ▲permission for only once-weekly flights ▲implementation of self-quarantine for overseas arrivals caused a sharp drop in reservation rates.

Air Busan continued operations considering the impact on the local economy, as international routes were difficultly resumed through community efforts. These community efforts are supporting the early normalization of Gimhae Airport.

Lee Heon-seung, chairman of the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, demanded from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport the expansion of Gimhae Airport international routes and priority allocation to local airlines, which was realized.

Jeon Jong-min, member of the Health and Welfare Committee, pointed out problems with the Incheon Airport entry centralization policy to quarantine authorities and requested rationalization of quarantine procedures, which was reflected in the policy.

At a meeting on regional aviation and tourism industry issues organized by Air Busan with the People Power Party and the Democratic Party, both ruling and opposition parties promised to expand international routes and prioritize local airlines for the early normalization of Gimhae Airport.

As local airline Air Busan actively expands international flights from Gimhae Airport, the local travel and tourism industries are expected to gradually recover.

According to the local travel industry, inquiries about overseas travel are surging, with honeymoon, golf, and group tour inquiries flooding in, indicating a recovery in overseas travel sentiment.

An Air Busan official said, “To achieve substantial recovery, more international routes need to be operated, and quarantine procedures also need to be managed rationally.”

Air Busan CEO Ahn Byung-seok said, “With a strong sense of duty to firmly maintain the Busan air route, we will promptly resume international flights to Japan, Southeast Asia, and other destinations,” adding, “We will do our best to revitalize the local travel and tourism industries and activate the local economy.”