Incheon Airport Resumes Passenger Route Between Incheon and Sapporo

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Hyun-seok] Incheon International Airport Corporation announced on the 18th that it has resumed operations on the Incheon?Japan Sapporo (New Chitose) route.

Due to government quarantine policies after COVID-19, there were only four regular routes between Incheon and Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka). However, with the resumption of the Sapporo route, travelers now have a wider range of options to visit Hokkaido, the northernmost part of Japan. The resumed Incheon?Sapporo route will operate twice a week using a B737-800 aircraft.

The corporation held a commemorative event for the resumption of the Incheon?Sapporo route at Gate 245 of Terminal 2 at Incheon Airport in cooperation with Korean Air the day before. The event was attended by Kim Hyung-shin, Head of Hub Strategy Division at Incheon International Airport Corporation, Park Yong-ho, Team Leader of Korean Air Incheon Passenger Service Branch, and others to celebrate the route's reopening.

Hokkaido, located at the northernmost part of Japan, is known as one of Japan’s popular summer vacation destinations due to its cool weather and beautiful natural scenery even in summer. In 2019, about 900,000 passengers used the Incheon?Sapporo route, but operations were temporarily suspended after March 2020 due to the spread of COVID-19.

With the resumption of this route after two years and four months, along with the reinstatement of group tourist visas for Koreans traveling to Japan, general tourist visas and short-term multiple-entry visas for Japanese visitors, the revitalization of Korea-Japan tourism is expected to accelerate.

Kim Beom-ho, Head of the Future Business Division, said, “With the resumption of tourism visas and route restoration between Korea and Japan, a full recovery of passenger demand on Korea-Japan routes during the summer peak season is anticipated. The corporation plans to work closely with related organizations and airlines to promote the early recovery of inbound and transit passenger demand.”

Meanwhile, the corporation signed a business agreement with Hokkaido Airport Co., Ltd. in September last year and has been continuously making efforts to quickly restore air routes in preparation for the post-COVID-19 era by promoting joint marketing to revitalize passenger routes.