Korea, Algeria agree to establish direct air route

Korean Air's Boeing 787-10 jet takes off from Incheon International Airport / Courtesy of Korean Air

Korea and Algeria have agreed to establish direct air services and designate traffic rights between the two countries, the transport ministry said Monday.

The two countries signed an air services agreement in January 2005, which entered into force in July 2009. However, the absence of negotiations on the traffic rights prevented the launch of direct flights, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a press release.

The two sides agreed to designate traffic rights for up to four weekly passenger and cargo flights, it said.

Korea currently operates only one direct route to Africa — the Incheon-Addis Ababa service to Ethiopia — despite the continent's strong growth potential and rising demand for intercontinental travel.

"The agreement is significant because it will help attract not only traffic to and from Algeria but also transfer passengers from across Africa and some Mediterranean countries traveling to Korea," a ministry official said.