This undated file photo provided by Jeju Air shows the beer museum in Qingdao, China.
SEOUL, April 12 (Korea Bizwire) — Jeju Air Co., South Korea’s leading low-cost carrier, said Wednesday it will resume the Incheon-Qingdao route later this month after three years of suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jeju Air plans to provide flights to Qingdao on a daily basis starting April 30, while expanding flights from Incheon to Weihai and Yantai beginning April 23, the company said in a statement.
“The company will gradually resume more pandemic-suspended routes to China, depending on market demands,” the statement said.
The budget carrier used to operate 45 B737-800NG chartered planes on 87 routes, including six domestic routes, before the pandemic. The numbers of routes and planes have fallen to 35 and 37, respectively.
In 2022, Jeju Air’s net losses narrowed to 172.42 billion won from 272.28 billion won a year earlier as eased COVID-19 restrictions unleashed pent-up travel demand.
This year, it aims to turn around after posting net losses for four consecutive years through 2022.
This photo taken on Feb. 3, 2020, and provided by Jeju Air shows airport personnel preparing quarantine work for passengers on an arriving airplane at Jeju International Airport.
South Korea and China have recently agreed to increase flights on their routes to pre-pandemic levels.
Seoul and Beijing have the right to provide 608 flights a week on routes to each other’s country, and they used to offer a combined 1,100 weekly flights before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the airline industry three years ago, according to the transport ministry.
Korean carriers used to offer 450 to 470 flights a week on their routes to China before the pandemic. The flights to China accounted for one-fourth of their international flights.
Local carriers are increasing the number of flights on routes to Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao, Yanji and other cities in China.
Their flight resumptions come as South Korea lifted a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test requirement on March 1 for travelers from China after their arrival here and the pre-arrival test requirement on March 10.
In February, Korea resumed issuing short-term visas for Chinese visitors, and China also restarted the issuance of short-term visas for South Koreans.
Korea has two full-service carriers — Korean Air and Asiana Airlines — and 10 LCCs — Jeju Air, Jin Air Co., Air Busan Co., T’way Air, Air Seoul Inc., Eastar Jet, Fly Gangwon, Air Premia, Aero K Airlines Co. and Air Incheon Co.
Air Incheon is a cargo-focused carrier, and the nine other low-cost ones are passenger carriers.
(Yonhap)
