Air Busan to resume Busan-Vientiane flights after 3-year hiatus

Air Busan Co. recently expanded the number of flights on its Japan routes and continues to resume flights on its Southeast Asian routes. It will now restart a flight route between Busan and Vientiane, the Laotian capital, which was suspended by the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Air Busan said on Monday it would expand travel options for Korean travelers by launching chartered flights on the Busan-Vientiane route from January 19 to March 2 next year.

With this, flights between Busan and Vientiane, which all airlines had suspended during the pandemic, will reopen after a three-year shutdown with Air Busan's relaunch of charter flights.

The flight route will be run through a charter agreement with a travel agency. The twice-weekly flight (Thursday and Sunday) will depart from Gimhae International Airport and arrive at Wattay International Airport in Vientiane.

The flight time is 5 hours and 25 minutes via a 232-seat A321 neo aircraft.

The charter flight will operate twice weekly on a regular, rather than occasional basis, adding to the air travel convenience for residents of the Busan region who wish to travel to the Southeast Asian country.

"We expect many people to be very interested in visiting Vientiane as they can enjoy trips featuring tours to historic sites, golf outings, and foodie road trips. We will continue striving to revitalize Gimhae Airport by stimulating travelers' desire to fly through new or resumed international routes," said an Air Busan official.

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