Starting Next Month, Non-Stop Sightseeing Flights Available from Gimpo, Daegu, and Gimhae

Expansion to 3 Regional Airports from Incheon Airport... Same Duty-Free Benefits as Overseas Travelers

On February 20th, passengers of Air Seoul's overseas non-landing flight at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 were browsing duty-free shops.

Air Seoul's overseas non-landing flight departed from Incheon Airport, circled over Japanese airspace, and returned, achieving a 98% occupancy rate and receiving high interest from passengers. Photo by Airport Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo Gang-wook] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 18th that it will expand the 'non-landing international sightseeing flights,' which began operating at Incheon International Airport last December, to regional airports such as Gimpo, Daegu, and Gimhae.

Non-landing international sightseeing flights refer to irregular flights that depart from South Korea, circle into the airspace of another country, and then return to a Korean airport without landing or entering the foreign country. After re-entry, passengers are exempt from COVID-19 testing and quarantine, and they receive the same duty-free benefits as regular overseas travelers.

Since the spread of COVID-19 led to a sharp decline in air travel demand due to entry restrictions on arrivals from Korea, resulting in most international flights being suspended or reduced, the Ministry promoted non-landing international sightseeing flights, which are unaffected by the pandemic, to meet citizens' travel demand and support related industries such as aviation and duty-free.

Since the service began at Incheon Airport on December 12 last year, seven Korean airlines have operated a total of 75 flights until March this year, serving over 8,000 passengers, contributing to increased sales and employment retention in related industries.

As international sightseeing flights have been well received as safe air travel linked with duty-free shopping based on thorough quarantine management, the aviation and duty-free industries have continuously requested product diversification, including expansion to regional airports.

Accordingly, the Ministry explained that after consultations with related ministries such as quarantine, immigration, and customs, it decided to promote 'international sightseeing flights utilizing regional airports' to improve convenience for users in the provinces and revitalize regional airports where international flights are suspended.

'Regional airport international sightseeing flights' will be initially implemented at Gimpo, Daegu, and Gimhae airports, considering quarantine management, customs, immigration, and quarantine (CIQ) screening personnel, and duty-free shop operations.

Airports such as Cheongju and Yangyang will be considered for future implementation based on airline demand, the return of CIQ personnel, and the resumption of duty-free shop operations.

Passengers on international sightseeing flights will receive the same duty-free benefits as regular travelers on Incheon Airport routes and will be exempt from quarantine and COVID-19 testing upon arrival. To ensure thorough quarantine management, all passengers will undergo at least three temperature checks during the process of using the international sightseeing flight, and symptomatic individuals will be restricted from using the service.

Additionally, passengers must wear masks at all times in the airport and onboard, and actions such as moving seats or consuming food and beverages during the flight will be restricted.

Airports will regularly conduct terminal disinfection and cleaning, recommend the use of contactless automated immigration inspection gates, limit the number of simultaneous entrants in duty-free zones, and enforce social distancing and other strict quarantine measures.

'Regional airport international sightseeing flights' will begin operations early next month after airlines prepare products and attract customers and receive flight operation approval from the Ministry.

The Ministry plans to allocate sufficient intervals between arrival and departure times of sightseeing flights for quarantine management and customs inspection, and limit the number of daily flights per airport to about three. Furthermore, not only Gimpo Airport, where international flights are currently suspended, but also Daegu and Gimhae airports, where international flights are operating, will operate dedicated terminals for international sightseeing flights at different times from regular flights to avoid contact with general arrivals and departures.

The Ministry will continue to promote non-landing international sightseeing flights to support the aviation industry and actively collaborate with related ministries to enable more diverse operations, such as routes linking regional tourism with 'Incheon/Gimpo departures - regional airport arrivals.'

Yoon Jin-hwan, Director of Aviation Policy at the Ministry, stated, “We will implement strict quarantine measures throughout the entire process of international sightseeing flights to ensure their safe operation.”

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