Asiana Airlines Inc., South Korea's second-biggest carrier, announced on Monday it will reopen the route to India this week as eased Covid-19 restrictions unleash pent-up demand. Asiana will offer one flight a week on the Incheon-Delhi route starting from Friday after it suspended the route 33 months ago due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Yonhap News Agency quoted the company as saying in a statement.
The airline added that it will also expand the number of flights on routes to Sydney, Los Angeles, Osaka, Fukuoka, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Manila from May. Asiana operates 25 international routes, down from 71 before the pandemic, and seven domestic routes.
The country's No. 2 full-service carrier after Korean Air Lines Co., has another low-cost carrier Air Seoul Inc. under its wing. The South Korean govt, earlier announced plans to add about 100 international flights per week starting May 2022 as demand for overseas travel is expected to increase. This announcement comes as South Korean Covid-19 cases have been declining for about three weeks, and the government has eased Covid-19 restrictions.
Also read: Top domestic airlines in India passenger traffic wise - IndiGo, Air India and more
Currently, only 420 international fights a week serve South Korea, down from 4,714 before the pandemic. “From next month onwards, the government will authorize a further 100 weekly flights for such destinations as the United States, Europe, Thailand, and Singapore, where quarantine exemptions and visa-free entry are possible,” Minister of the Interior and Safety Jeon Hae-Cheol said. “Then 100 more weekly international flights will be added in June and a further 300 in July,” the transport ministry said.
India, on the other hand, resumed commercial international flights from March 27 after nearly a two-year-old break due to the Covid-19 pandemic that forced nations to close their borders.
With agencies input
#mute
