Air Busan launches new Busan-Clark flight

Air Busan Co. began operating its first new flight route this year between Busan and Clark, the Philippines, and started a new leap forward in earnest.

Air Busan said on Friday that it had held an inauguration ceremony for the Busan-Clark line at the Gimhae International Airport's International Terminal the day before with CEO Ahn Byeong Seog, executives, and staff members in attendance.

Flight BX757, which started its first flight on the same day, saw its booking ratio skyrocket as soon as ticket sales opened, and recorded a full flight early on.

Clark is a former US air base and is one of the most popular travel destinations in the Philippines where tourists can enjoy the largest water park in the country, marine leisure sports, and golf.

The Busan-Clark flight operates four times a week (Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday) and departs from Gimhae Airport at 9:30 pm and arrives at Clark International Airport in the Philippines at 12:10 am the next day. It departs from the airport at 1:40 am and arrives at Gimhae at 6:10 am. Flight time is approximately 3 hours 40 minutes.

"With the trend of continuously increasing travelers on Japanese routes, the recent increase in passengers on Southeast Asian lines is even steeper. In line with this, we have decided to set Clark as this year's first new destination," said an official of Air Busan.

Write to Seo-Woo Jang at suwu@hankyung.com