Aviation Industry's Growing 'With Corona' Optimism... Passenger Numbers to Saipan Quadruple in Ten Days Compared to First Half of the Year

Ahead of the Chuseok holiday, the spread of COVID-19 is accelerating mainly in Seoul and the metropolitan area. On the 16th, the domestic terminal of Gimpo Airport in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, was crowded with passengers. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] As expectations for the With Corona era rise, international passenger demand is increasing, especially in countries implementing travel bubbles (travel safe zones).

According to the Aviation Information Portal System on the 12th, the number of passengers departing from Incheon International Airport to Saipan from the 1st to the 11th was recorded at 709 based on real-time statistics. This figure is four times the total number of passengers who traveled to Saipan through Incheon Airport during the first half of this year (January to June), which was 175.

Passenger numbers have been increasing monthly due to the Saipan travel bubble that started in the second half of the year. The number of passengers on the Incheon-Saipan route increased to 225 in July, 239 in August, and 904 in September. This is due to growing expectations for the With Corona era following the rise in COVID-19 vaccination rates.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH), as of this date, the cumulative number of first-dose COVID-19 vaccinations is 40,014,733, reaching a first-dose vaccination rate of 77.9% of the entire population (based on the resident registration by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in December 2020).

Travelers to Saipan undergo self-quarantine for five days at the local Kensington Hotel upon arrival, but since the Saipan government provides hotel stay costs and meals, the demand for the 4,000 travelers allowed until the end of the year is already fully booked.

With the Singapore travel bubble set to begin on the 15th of next month, the positive momentum is expected to continue. The Singapore travel bubble exempts travelers from 7 days of quarantine and PCR testing. Personal travel is also possible if travelers have a negative COVID-19 test certificate and insurance covering treatment costs.

The aviation industry is preparing to resume international flights in anticipation of the With Corona era. Asiana Airlines will operate the Incheon-Guam route twice a week starting December this year, and Korean Air is considering flights to Hawaii next month. The travel industry is also showing signs of revival. Hana Tour, which returned to normal operations after a year and a half earlier this month, recently launched Singapore travel packages to capture passenger demand.

An aviation industry official said, "As vaccination rates increase, demand for overseas travel, such as honeymoon trips, is gradually rising," adding, "We are reviewing the expansion of major routes according to demand."

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