Korean airlines add more flights to Japan as demand increases

A digital screen at Gimpo International Airport shows flights from Japan on Tuesday. [NEWS1]

Airlines are adding more flights to and from Japan as the country opens visa-free travel and Koreans rush to fly abroad.

Asiana Airlines announced Tuesday it will bump up its Incheon-Narita flights to 12 times a week starting Oct. 30, up from the current 10 flights a week. There will be 10 Incheon-Osaka flights per week, compared to the current seven.

The company said it increased flight frequencies following Japan’s decision to allow visa-free travel. Starting Oct. 11, foreigners of certain countries will be able to visit Japan for up to 90 days without a visa.

Asiana Airlines will also increase frequencies of Incheon-Fukuoka flights from the current three times a week to seven from Oct. 30. Flights between Incheon and Nagoya will be offered three times a week, compared to the current two times a week.

The carrier currently only offers 29 flights to and from Japan every week, only 20 percent of 2019 levels before the pandemic. The carrier plans to offer 40 percent of its 2019 levels by the end of this year.

“Eased travel restrictions and the cheap yen will greatly increase travel demand to Japan,” said a spokesperson for Asiana Airlines. “We will carefully monitor the situation and consider increasing frequencies of flights to and from Sapporo and Miyazaki as well.”

Air Busan also announced Tuesday it will add more Japan flights in response to rising bookings.

According to the carrier, bookings for flights to and from Japan increased 20 percent as of Monday, compared to Sept. 22, the day before Japan announced its visa-free travel.

The budget carrier flew between Gimhae and Fukuoka three times a week, but that will be increased to seven times a week starting Oct. 11. From Oct. 17, it will fly the route 14 times a week.

There will be seven Gimhae-Osaka flights per week also starting Oct. 11, compared to the current four flights a week. From Oct. 17, it will also fly the route 14 times a week.

Budget carriers mostly focus on offering short-distance routes, and upping frequencies for Japan-bound flights are expected to help their business. Flights to and from Japan made up for more than half of Air Busan’s international flights in 2018, with 84.6 percent of seats booked.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]