Won Hee-ryong: "Gimpo~Haneda Flight Service to Resume as Early as June 1"

Revealed at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister's Press Briefing

Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, announced on the 23rd that the Gimpo-Haneda flight route will resume as early as June 1.

At a press briefing held at a restaurant in Eojin-dong, Sejong City, Minister Won said, "There are some disagreements within Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, so the resumption might be slightly delayed, but as of now, both countries are working towards restarting flights on June 1."

The Gimpo-Haneda route is considered a symbolic route connecting Seoul and Tokyo for exchanges between the two countries. While Incheon serves Korea and Narita serves Japan, Gimpo and Haneda airports offer better accessibility to the city centers.

From the airlines' perspective, the Gimpo-Haneda route is regarded as a lucrative route with higher business demand compared to other routes to Japan. Passengers visiting Seoul and Tokyo also prefer the Gimpo route over Incheon due to transportation convenience.

Due to the impact of COVID-19, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines have suspended operations on the Gimpo-Haneda route for over two years since March 2020.

Currently, domestic airlines operate routes between Incheon and Narita, Osaka, Fukuoka, Nagoya, and other Japanese cities.

Earlier, on the 11th, President Yoon Suk-yeol expressed his intention to resume the Gimpo-Haneda route during a meeting with a Japanese delegation including members of the Japan-Korea Parliamentary League, which led to full-scale government-level working discussions between South Korea and Japan.

At that time, President Yoon said, "To restore the Gimpo-Haneda line within May, the new government will establish quarantine facilities at Gimpo to test all departing passengers to Japan before departure, and if Japan exempts Korean arrivals from quarantine so they can immediately engage in activities, the restoration of the Gimpo-Haneda line is expected to invigorate exchanges between the peoples of both countries."