Jeju Air ramps up China routes ahead of winter travel surge
Jeju Air B737-8 passenger carrier / Courtesy of Jeju Air
Jeju Air will add flights on four China routes this winter and has secured rights to launch services from Incheon to Beijing and Changsha, the Korean low-cost carrier said Tuesday.
The airline said it was allocated traffic rights in September for seven weekly Incheon-Beijing flights and four weekly Incheon-Changsha flights. Traffic rights are government-issued permits that set how often a carrier may fly an international route.
In April, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport awarded it rights on five other routes: Busan-Guilin, Busan-Shanghai, Daegu-Shanghai, Jeju-Chengdu and Jeju-Chongqing.
The allocations allow Jeju Air to serve 13 Chinese cities, the most among Korean low-cost carriers, the company said. It currently operates 14 China routes, including nonscheduled services.
Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, is a gateway to Zhangjiajie, a mountain area known for its sandstone pillars. The airline did not say when the Beijing and Changsha flights from Incheon will begin.
Under the winter schedule, which begins Oct. 25, Busan-Shanghai flights will rise from four a week to daily through Dec. 15. Incheon-Qingdao service will increase from seven to 11 weekly flights through Dec. 31 and Incheon-Weihai from seven to 10 through March 27. Busan-Zhangjiajie flights will double to four a week through Nov. 30.
Jeju Air also extended operations on four routes: Busan-Guilin, Incheon-Guilin and Daegu-Guilin through Nov. 29, and Daegu-Shijiazhuang through Nov. 18. It is preparing to launch Daegu-Shanghai, Jeju-Chengdu and Jeju-Chongqing flights.
The carrier began scheduled flights to China in 2012 with an Incheon-Qingdao route and had carried a cumulative 5.28 million passengers on China routes as of August, the most among Korean low-cost carriers, it said.
A company official said the airline will adjust capacity flexibly in line with demand and market conditions to give travelers more options for China trips.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.