대한항공, 일본 노선 줄이고 동남아 및 중국노선 운항 확대한다
South Korean carrier Korean Air has followed other local airlines by deciding to cut flights to Japan.
The on-going boycott against Japan is seen as the main reason behind the move.
Our Seo Eunkyung reports.
Korean Air said on Tuesday that it is suspending some routes to Japan starting September this year.
Flights from Busan to Osaka will be indefinitely suspended from September 16th while routes from Jeju to Narita as well as Jeju to Osaka will be suspended from November 1st.
Some other routes to Japan will be halted temporarily.
The national flag carrier plans to stop services on the Incheon to Komatsu and Incheon to Kagoshima routes from September 29th to November 16th and halt flights on the Incheon to Asahikawa route from September 29th to October 26th.
In an effort to offset lower customer demand to Japan, the company has decided to increase the number of flights to alternative destinations including China and South East Asia.
The company plans to open new routes to the Chinese cities of Zhangjiajie, Hangzhou and Nanjing and increase the number of flights on the Incheon-Beijing route from 14 flights a week to 17 flights a week.
It also plans to launch a route from Incheon to Clark Field in the Philippines from October 27.
Korean Air will increase its number of flights from Incheon to Da Nang in Vietnam to 21 times a week and from Incheon to Chiang Mai in Thailand to 11 times a week.
As of now, eight Korean carriers including Korean Air and Asiana Airlines have decided to cut flights to Japan.
About 60 routes to Japan will see reductions.
Amid the on-going trade spat between Seoul and Tokyo, lower travel demand to Japan looks like it'll persist for the time being.
Seo Eunkyung, Arirang News.
