S.Korea's budget carriers seek expansion via more overseas flights

South Korea's budget carrier Jeju Air Co. on Thursday announced the resumption of flights connecting Incheon to the Vietnamese cities of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi from April 20 seven times a week.

The routes' return comes after three years after their suspension in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The budget carrier runs four routes to Vietnam: Incheon-Danang, Incheon-Nha Trang, Busan-Danang and Muan County, South Jeolla Province-Danang.

Through late last month, 98,200 people this year flew on the carrier's routes between Incheon and Vietnam. Jeju Air thus ranked first in passenger traffic among domestic budget carriers with 27%.

Air Busan Co. from March 23 to April 4 will run a non-regular flight between Busan and Miyazaki, Japan, in the budget carrier's first route linking South Korea's No. 2 city with Miyazaki.

Write to Ik-Hwan Kim at lovepen@hankyung.com