Korean carriers to expand flights to China amid virus downturn

Korean airlines said Monday they will expand flights to China from later this month, as the two countries recently agreed to increase flights on their routes to pre-pandemic levels. Seoul and Beijing have the right to provide 608 flights a week on routes to each other's country, and they used to offer a combined 1,100 weekly flights before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the airline industry three years ago, according to the transport ministry. Korean carriers used to offer 450 to 470 flights a week on their routes to China before the pandemic. The flights to China accounted for one-fourth of their international flights. Local airlines plan to initially increase the number of flights on routes to Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao and Yanji this month. Korean Air, the country's biggest carrier, said it will increase the number of its weekly flights on Chinese routes from the current 13 to 84 at the end of this month and 99 at end-May. The 99 weekly flights reach 43 percent of the pre-pandemic levels offered by the national flag carrier. Asiana Airlines, the country's second-biggest carrier, plans to increase the number of weekly flights to China from the existing 10 to 89, 50 percent of the pre-pandemic levels, by April. Jeju Air, the country's leading budget carrier, said it aims to triple the number of weekly flights to China to 16 by the end of this month.<br/>