Korea airlines to increase flights on eased COVID-19 rule

South Korean airlines plan to increase international flights by year-end as the country is set to ease the rule on COVID-19 for travelers in a move to support the industry’s recovery.

Starting from Sept. 3, the government will not require inbound travelers to test for COVID-19 before departure, while continuing to demand them to take polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests within 24 hours of arrival, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said on Wednesday.

The move came as fresh daily infection cases have remained around 100,000 in recent weeks, much lower than over 180,000 in the middle of August, according to government data.

The country’s airlines plan to increase international flights, taking advantage of the relaxation.

Korean Air Lines Co., the country’s top carrier, will launch its inaugural flight to Budapest, Hungary on Oct. 3. The flag airline plans to operate the route once a week initially and expand this to twice a week from Oct. 29.

Korean Air will also resume some flights to Thailand and the United Arab Emirates on Oct. 1, which have been suspended since March 2020 due to COVID-19. It will restore the route to Dubai with three flights a week, as well as services to Phuket and Chiang Mai in Thailand with four weekly flights each.

FUEL FOR AVIATION INDUSTRY RECOVERY

South Korea’s easing came after its neighbor Japan decided not to require incoming travelers to show a pre-departure negative COVID-19 test result from Sept. 7 if they have been vaccinated three times.

In addition, the country plans to allow the entry of non-escorted visitors on package tours and raise the daily arrival cap to 50,000.

Such moves are expected to help the South Korean aviation industry speed up its recovery, industry sources said.

The sector has been struggling as the weakness in the South Korean won currency and higher fuel prices kept demand for international flights from recovering despite global border reopenings.

Korean Air operated 49 international routes as of the end of this month, fewer than half the 110 as of end-2019 before the outbreak of COVID-19, due to weak demand. Its smaller rival Asiana Airlines Inc. operated 37 routes, compared to 71 routes before the pandemic.

“The latest measure (by South Korea’s government) has solved the most important issue for the normalization of the industry,” said a South Korean airline official.

Reflecting such optimism, shares in Korean Air ended up 2.87% at 26,850 won ($20) in South Korea’s main stock market, outperforming a 0.86% gain in the wider Kospi. Its smaller rival Asiana Airlines Inc. jumped 3.39% to close at 15,250 won.

Budget airlines’ shares also soared. Jeju Air Co. surged 6.46%, while Jin Air and T'way Air Co. rose 3.55% and 2.99%, respectively.

Write to Kyung-Min Kang and Jung-Eun Kim at kkm1026@hankyung.com
Jongwoo Cheon edited this article.