Breaking the Silence on With-Corona: Nationwide Airports' International Flights "Preparing for Increased Demand"

Starting with Gimhae Airport, Regional Airports Also Preparing to Resume International Flights One After Another

[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] International routes at airports nationwide, which had been in a state of temporary closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are gradually expanding and resuming in line with the 'phased return to normal life.' Industry experts agree that proactive preparation is necessary as air routes and passenger numbers are expected to increase rapidly following each country's efforts to restore normalcy.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Aviation Information Portal System, from the 1st to the 16th of this month, the cumulative number of flights at Incheon Airport was 7,041, with 174,619 air passengers recorded. Compared to the same period in 2019 before COVID-19, the number of flights is at 41% and passenger numbers at 6%, but compared to the same period last year, these figures represent increases of 21.2% and 77.8%, respectively.

Incheon International Airport Corporation plans to actively launch a 'Welcome Back' promotion as international flights show signs of expansion in line with the phased return to normal life. Starting with the first arrivals of visitors following the travel bubble agreement between Korea and Singapore signed on the 15th, the promotion will focus on strengthening online and offline publicity activities and inviting major overseas travel agencies and influencers to accelerate the recovery of travel demand.

Regional airports, where international flights had been suspended, are also preparing to resume operations. Last month, the government announced a policy to gradually reopen international flights at regional airports, which had been suspended for 1 year and 7 months to prevent the spread of COVID-19, only for those who have completed vaccination or possess quarantine exemption certificates. For example, Air Busan and Jeju Air plan to resume routes from Gimhae to Guam and Saipan sequentially from the end of this month, and Finnish airline Finnair plans to launch a new Gimhae-Helsinki route in March next year. The Gimhae-Helsinki route will be the first long-haul international route for Gimhae International Airport.

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In line with this trend, Korea Airports Corporation (KAC) recently established a comprehensive all-around plan to resume international flights at seven regional airports. In the initial phase, to restore passenger confidence and support the aviation and travel industries, KAC plans to strengthen promotions and incentives, while collaborating with quarantine agencies and local governments to reorganize airport quarantine and transportation systems. Furthermore, from the first half of next year, when air travel demand is expected to increase significantly, KAC intends to intensify passenger promotions.

The aviation industry advises that, as countries actively pursue the return to normal life, proactive preparations are necessary to accommodate the anticipated surge in flights and passengers. For example, the current arrival slot capacity at Incheon Airport has been reduced from 40 to about 10 per hour due to special entry procedures. An industry official stated, "While the current reduced international flight volume is manageable, measures to gradually increase slots should be considered to prepare for future demand growth."

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