Domestic airlines increase frequency of flights to Vietnam

A Jeju Air plane taking off [JEJU AIR]

Domestic airlines are ramping up flights to Vietnam, with the Southeast Asian country being Korea's second-most popular travel destination.

Jeju Air, Korea's largest low-cost airline, will resume daily flights on routes between Incheon and Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi beginning April 20, the company said Thursday.

These routes have been suspended since March 2020 amid the spread of the coronavirus.

The budget carrier’s current routes to Vietnam are Incheon-Da Nang, Incheon-Nha Trang, Busan-Da Nang and Muan-Da Nang, flying 32 times a week. With the restoration, flights to Vietnam will be offered 46 times weekly.

“The burden of long-distance traveling is still high due to high exchange rates and public health measures,” an official from Jeju Air told the JoongAng Ilbo. “We believe demands for Vietnam will continue for the time being as it’s exotic yet relatively cheap.”

According to Air Portal run by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the number of passengers who flew from Korea to Vietnam in February reached 316,647, or 14.3 percent of the total number departing the country via airlines. The figure grew 21.2 times bigger from a year before.

The most visited destination from Korea was Japan — with 678,979 passengers reported last month. Vietnam came next, followed by Thailand with 188,599 passengers, the Philippines with 164,456 passengers and the United States with 152,517 passengers.

“Vietnam has traditionally been a go-to destination for Koreans, with its relatively cheap prices adding to the popularity,” an official from the aviation industry said. The country was also one of the first in the world to ease social distancing measures and reopen amid the pandemic.

The popularity of Vietnam can be proven by data from Jeju Air released Thursday, which shows that the airline carried a total of 962,200 people to Vietnam in 2019, with the seat occupancy rate reaching an average of 85 percent.

Korea’s full service carriers, Korean Air Lines and Asiana Airlines, are also set to increase the frequency on their services to Vietnam.

Flag carrier Korean Air Lines is planning to add more flights from next month, with operations between Incheon-Ho Chi Minh increasing from the current 18 weekly times to 21, and between Incheon-Da Nang from 11 to 14.

Asiana Airlines has increased flight services from Incheon to Da Nang to seven times a week from four on March 10. In addition to that, it is planning to run 12 weekly flights to Hanoi in May, up from its current ten.

Korea’s low-cost carriers (LCC), which are largely focused on generally short flights, are gearing up marketing activities for Vietnam trips.

Ahead of its flight schedule restoration to the cities of Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, Jeju Air started selling one-way flight tickets that can be used from April 20 through Aug. 31 at a discounted price ranging from 129,500 won ($99) to 134,200 won.

Air Seoul, another LCC, has been offering discounted tickets for the Incheon-Da Nang route starting from 135,400 won.

BY LEE SOO-KI, SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]