Japanese Media "Reviewing Resumption of Gimpo-Haneda Route Operations... From the 15th of Next Month"

As the COVID-19 pandemic subsides and demand for overseas travel increases, the threat of imported COVID-19 variants and monkeypox is gradually rising. On the 26th, at the departure hall of Terminal 1 at Incheon International Airport, an airline staff member heading to China, dressed in protective gear, is guiding passengers. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] The governments of South Korea and Japan are in final negotiations to resume flights on the Gimpo-Haneda route, which had been suspended due to COVID-19, starting from the 15th of next month, according to Japan's Sankei Shimbun on the 28th.

Sankei reported, "Both South Korea and Japan had been discussing resuming flights on June 1, but the reopening was delayed due to the time required to secure airport staff and quarantine personnel."

The Gimpo-Haneda route is a symbolic connection between Seoul and Tokyo, with better accessibility to the city centers compared to South Korea's Incheon Airport and Japan's Narita Airport. Korean Air and Asiana Airlines suspended operations on this route for over two years since March 2020. Before COVID-19, this route was used by 2.05 million passengers annually. Domestic airlines currently operate routes between Incheon and Narita, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Nagoya in Japan.

Earlier, President Yoon Suk-yeol expressed his intention to resume Gimpo-Haneda flights during a meeting with a Japanese delegation including members of the Japan-Korea Parliamentary League on the 11th, and the two governments have continued discussions since then.

Meanwhile, the Japanese government plans to resume entry for foreign tourists, which had been suspended for over two years due to COVID-19, starting from the 10th of next month. However, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, only group tours arranged through travel agencies will be allowed for the time being. Travelers arriving from 98 countries and regions with low COVID-19 infection risks, including South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, and China, will not be subject to additional COVID-19 testing at Japanese airports and will be exempt from home quarantine.