Muan International Airport, Sky Route Reopens

Jeju Air to Operate Four Times Weekly Starting from the 17th of Next Month

Muan International Airport Overview (Photo by Muan-gun)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seo Young-seo] Aircraft operations at Muan International Airport, which had been completely suspended since last March due to the impact of COVID-19, will resume.

According to Jeonnam Province and Muan County on the 25th, Jeju Air, the number one domestic low-cost carrier (LCC), will operate the Muan?Jeju route irregularly four times a week starting from the 17th of next month, and will consider converting to regular flights and increasing frequency depending on passenger demand.

Airfares will be available at special discounted rates of 20,000 to 30,000 KRW, which is 70?80% off the normal price, reducing the economic burden on passengers and greatly helping to attract more travelers.

Muan County plans to actively attract passengers by operating dedicated buses to Gwangju and Mokpo aligned with flight schedules to facilitate transportation for airport users, and by supporting product development and promotion in cooperation with local travel agencies.

Additionally, financial incentives to encourage various airlines to operate and diversify routes will be significantly expanded.

Jeonnam Province will double support for airline losses, increasing domestic flight subsidies from 50 million KRW to 100 million KRW, and international flight subsidies from 100 million KRW to 200 million KRW, while relaxing the support criteria from 45 flights per half-year to 36 flights.

Muan County will also provide 50 million KRW for domestic flights and 10 million KRW for international flights, and plans to gradually review additional support measures.

This resumption of operations is the first result of continuous consultations with airlines since the complete suspension of flights last March, reflecting their difficulties. With the expanded incentives, it is expected that more airlines will begin service at Muan International Airport.

A Muan County official stated, “International flights have been unified to Incheon International Airport for arrivals and departures since April 6th according to quarantine authorities’ guidelines, so it is currently difficult to predict when international flights will resume. We will do our best to revitalize domestic flights first.”

Meanwhile, Muan International Airport saw 900,000 passengers last year (a 64.8% increase compared to 2018), achieving the highest growth rate among 15 airports nationwide, but all flights have been suspended since last March due to the impact of COVID-19.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.