The Sky Opens Up, but Self-Quarantine Is a 'Hindrance'

Last Month's International Passenger Count Was 321,614... Far Below 3,957,482 in 2020
Jung Eun-kyung, Director of KDCA, "Considering Easing Quarantine Standards... Industry Says 'Recovery Requires Quarantine Easing'"

On the last day of the Lunar New Year holiday, February 2nd, citizens are exiting the domestic terminal arrival hall at Gimpo Airport in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] Major countries around the world are easing entry requirements, reopening travel routes that were blocked due to COVID-19. However, a full recovery of international flights remains distant. Quarantine regulations for overseas arrivals are still holding back progress.

According to the Aviation Information Portal System on the 5th, the number of international passengers last month was 321,614. This is about 5,000 fewer than the 356,836 in January but represents a 93.26% increase compared to 166,417 in February last year.

This is interpreted as a sign of recovering travel sentiment due to travel bubbles and similar initiatives. In particular, as several countries around the world have recently relaxed quarantine standards for incoming travelers, the recovery trend is expected to become more apparent. Thailand resumed its "Test & Go" system last month, allowing fully vaccinated travelers to enter without quarantine. Australia also decided to allow entry to foreign tourists who have received at least two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine starting from the 21st of last month.

In line with this, domestic airlines are increasing or resuming related routes. Korean Air will operate the Incheon-Rome direct flight three times a week starting in July. This is two years after suspending the route due to COVID-19. Asiana Airlines will resume the Incheon-Hawaii route next month. Additionally, Jeju Air will restart the Busan-Saipan route twice a week from the 30th and will also resume the Incheon-Tokyo and Incheon-Guam routes from the 30th. Air Busan will add the Busan-Saipan route starting from the 16th.

However, there are calls for easing quarantine measures to achieve a full recovery. Although the number of international passengers increased compared to last year, it is still far below the 3,957,482 in 2020 or 7,412,853 in 2019. Compared to pre-COVID-19 levels, it remains insufficient. The government reduced the quarantine period for overseas arrivals from 10 days to 7 days last month, but a clear recovery in overseas travel has yet to be seen.

That said, there is growing expectation that travel opportunities will expand as the government is considering exempting overseas arrivals from quarantine. Jung Eun-kyeong, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said on the 28th of last month, "Considering the high domestic risk situation, we believe we have achieved the goal of delaying the entry of the Omicron variant as much as possible," adding, "We are reviewing the exemption of quarantine for fully vaccinated overseas arrivals and will proceed at an appropriate time."

An aviation industry official explained, "Foreign countries are allowing entry for vaccinated travelers and relaxing quarantine standards. In Korea, air travel demand remains low due to quarantine requirements, so easing this is necessary."

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