"Sky Routes Expand" Airlines Increase Flights One After Another (Comprehensive)

On the 1st, officials are dismantling COVID-19 quarantine-related facilities at the arrival hall of Terminal 1 at Incheon International Airport. Incheon International Airport Corporation has reverted the operation system of the Incheon Airport arrival hall to the "pre-COVID" level in accordance with the government's revised quarantine guidelines, which include easing the use of quarantine transportation networks for overseas arriving travelers. Facilities such as local government quarantine information booths, dedicated waiting and separation areas for overseas arriving travelers, and COVID-19 information signage have been removed. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Domestic airlines have decided to increase international flights starting next month. This move follows the government's phased recovery policy for international flight operations.

Jeju Air announced on the 14th that it plans to operate 174 flights on 14 international routes, including Incheon~Cebu and Incheon~Clark, next month. Considering that it currently operates 88 flights on 8 routes, this represents a 75% increase in routes and a 98% increase in flight frequency.

The focus is on Southeast Asian routes, frequently visited by Korean travelers and where COVID-19 quarantine measures have been eased, as well as Oceania routes with travel bubbles. Oceania accounts for the largest share with 68 flights, followed by Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines with 58 flights, Japan with 34 flights, and China with about 14 flights. New routes will include Vietnam’s Da Nang and Nha Trang, the Philippines’ Bohol, and Malaysia’s Kota Kinabalu, all popular Southeast Asian vacation destinations. A Jeju Air official said, "We plan to continuously increase international flights to capture overseas travel demand."

Air Seoul will resume flights to Da Nang, Vietnam next month and to Nha Trang in June, each operating four times a week. Including Saipan and Guam, the number of international destinations served will increase to four. The airline expects overseas travel demand to rise further from summer onward and plans to expand other routes accordingly.

T’way Air will launch new routes next month from Incheon to Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Singapore. The Guam and Saipan routes will also increase to three flights per week. Jin Air will operate routes next month including Incheon~Osaka, Bangkok, Clark, Kota Kinabalu, and Busan~Guam, Da Nang, Bangkok.

Korean Air and Asiana Airlines have also received approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to increase flights. Both airlines will increase weekly flights by 16 and 4 respectively compared to April. Korean Air plans to increase flights on routes such as LA, Paris, and London, while Asiana Airlines will increase flights on routes including LA, Frankfurt, and London.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to increase the number of scheduled international flights from 420 weekly flights this month to 520 in May and 620 in June. From July, flights will increase by 300 weekly flights each month, reaching 2,420 weekly flights by November, which is 50% of the pre-COVID-19 level. The ministry approved the flight plans submitted by airlines, including foreign carriers, for next month.