Local airlines switch to summer season schedule

Korean Air's B787-9. Courtesy of Korean Air

By Kim Hyun-bin

Local airlines are switching to their summer season operations and plan to launch new routes and provide additional flights to popular destinations.

The country's flagship carrier, Korean Air, will begin its summer season schedule beginning March 31.

To better match rising demands, the carrier will provide additional direct flights to destinations such as Istanbul and St. Petersburg.

On April 12, Korean Air will newly the launch Incheon-Boston route through its joint venture with Delta Air Lines that connects 290 cities in the U.S. and Asia. Starting June 1, passengers can also travel to Asahikawa in Hokkaido, with flights available five times a week.

An additional flight will be available on the popular Incheon-Istanbul route from the current four to five. The carrier will resume connections to several destinations in Russia including St. Petersburg and Irkutsk in April, and the direct flights will allow travelers to easily visit Lake Baikal and other popular north European destinations.

The country's largest budget carrier, Jeju Air, plans to better utilize local airports starting in this year's summer by providing more international flights.

“Jeju Air aims to strengthen local airports basis for growth and create more passenger demand as part of the carriers diversification strategy, as Incheon International Airport and Gimpo International Airport are too saturated to launch new routes,” an official from the airline said.

In line with the new strategy, the airline will launch daily flights to Tokyo, three times a week to Macau and four times a week to Vladivostok from Muan International Airport, starting March 31.

With the new addition, Jeju Air will connect a total of nine international destinations from Muan including Osaka, Da Nang, Bangkok, Taipei, Cebu and Kota Kinabalu.

Currently, Jeju Air connects 43 cities in the Asia Pacific region including nine cities in Japan.

In February, Jeju Air received flight rights to operate between Busan and Singapore and is planning to launch the new route in the near future.