Asiana and Jeju Air Launch First International Tourist Flight Products Allowing 'Duty-Free Shopping'

City and Online Duty-Free Shops, Online In-Flight Duty-Free Shops Available
Hope Rises in Aviation and Duty-Free Industries Amid COVID-19

Passengers on the Asiana Airlines 'A380 Korean Peninsula Tour Flight' departing from Incheon Airport on the 24th are looking at the outside scenery. Photo by Airport Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] A new "international sightseeing flight" product, which tours overseas airspace without a destination and then returns, has been officially launched. Amid the devastating impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the aviation industry, attention is focused on whether this product, which also allows duty-free shopping, can become a "rain in a drought" for the related industries.

Asiana Airlines and Jeju Air announced on the 8th that they will operate their first international sightseeing flights without a destination on the 12th. The international sightseeing flight products offered by the two companies depart from Incheon International Airport and operate by circling over Miyazaki Prefecture (Asiana Airlines) and Fukuoka Prefecture (Jeju Air) in Japan before returning.

The Asiana Airlines flight departs Incheon Airport at 1:00 PM and returns at 4:20 PM on the same day, while the Jeju Air flight departs at 11:00 AM, operates for about two hours, and then returns. Since both products are classified as international flights, carrying a passport is mandatory when boarding.

The reason the two companies chose Japan as the first destination for the international sightseeing flights is due to the advantage of distance. An industry insider explained, "Given the nature of the product, which involves circling flights without landing and then returning, there is considerable burden in composing content for medium- to long-distance operations."

Ticket prices for Asiana Airlines, which deploys the A380, are 400,000 KRW for Business Suite seats, 350,000 KRW for Business seats, and 250,000 KRW for Economy seats based on total fare. Passengers using Business Suite and Business seats can also access the Asiana Airlines lounge. Jeju Air offers a single price of 198,000 KRW.

In particular, this product is attracting attention not only from the aviation industry but also from the duty-free industry because it allows duty-free shopping (limit of 600 USD) only available on international flights. For example, Jeju Air is collaborating with Shinsegae Duty Free to offer discount coupons and Shinsegae Group-related product giveaways when using the online duty-free store. However, to minimize contact with overseas arrivals and departures, movement paths are separated, so duty-free purchases are only possible at downtown duty-free stores, online duty-free stores, and online in-flight duty-free stores. Duty-free stores at the airport arrival hall and in-flight duty-free stores on the day of arrival are not available.

The industry’s expectations are considerable. For airlines operating in-flight duty-free businesses, they can expect revenue not only from ticket sales but also from duty-free product sales. Therefore, both companies plan to operate international sightseeing flights weekly until early January next year. Additionally, other low-cost carriers (LCCs) such as Air Busan are expected to sequentially launch related products.

However, the recent full-scale third wave of COVID-19 is a concern. From this day, social distancing level 2.5 has been implemented in the metropolitan area, and level 2 in other regions. Because of this, Korean Air reportedly postponed its plans after reviewing international sightseeing flights until recently.

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