Lee Hyo-sik is Finance Desk editor at The Korea Times. He manages finance-related stories on macroeconomics, banks, stocks, bonds, crypto etc. He is passionate about covering what's happening in Korea's financial industry and explaining it to both Korean and non-Korean readers. You can reach him at leehs@koreatimes.co.kr. Your insights and feedbacks are always appreciated.
Gimpo-Beijing air route to open in July
By Lee Hyo-sik
South Korea and China have agreed to launch a new air route linking Gimpo International Airport, west of Seoul, with Beijing International Airport in July, which will make it easier for those traveling to and from China’s capital.
The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said Tuesday that the two countries recently signed a memorandum of understanding to allow both Korean and Chinese airlines combined to offer four daily flights between the two airports, totaling 28 a week.
Currently, travelers can fly to Beijing only from Incheon International Airport.
The nation’s two flagship carriers ― Korean Air and Asiana Airlines ㅡ operate 42 weekly flights combined between Incheon and Beijing airports, with the two Chinese airlines offering 35 weekly flights.
Under the agreement, Korean Air and Asiana together will offer 14 weekly flights between Gimpo and Beijing, while the remaining 14 flights will be operated by Chinese airlines. But the firms will be required to slash the number of Incheon-Beijing flights by 28 to operate the same number of flights between Gimpo and Beijing.
The Korean government sought to establish Gimpo-Beijing routes while leaving the number of Incheon-Beijing weekly flights at the current 77. But the Chinese government preferred to move some of the existing flights from Incheon to Gimpo, citing worsening air traffic congestion at Beijing airport.
The ministry said it has not yet been decided on how the Gimpo-Beijing flights will be distributed between Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, adding it will soon ask both companies about whether they seek to operate the flights and if so, how many.
``We expect the Gimpo-Beijing route will add convenience to travelers because Gimpo airport is much closer to Seoul than Incheon airport. It will help save travel time and costs, particular for frequent business travelers,’’ a ministry official said.
The official said the new route will also help increase the number of travelers between the two countries, citing a sharp rise in inbound and outbound travelers between Korea and Japan when the airlines started offering flight services between Gimpo airport and Haneda International Airport in 2003.