Korea and Poland to increase weekly flights for Incheon, Seoul routes

Korea and Poland will increase the number of weekly flights between the two countries in support of strengthening ties in the defense industry and plant construction. [NEWS1]

The number of weekly flights between Korea and Poland will be increased to support the two countries' strengthened ties in the defense industry and plant construction, the Transport Ministry said Monday.

Seoul and Warsaw have agreed to increase the number of weekly flights from five to seven for routes from Incheon, just west of Seoul, while operating three flights a week for routes from the southern port city of Busan, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement.

“The agreement is about the expansion of traffic rights. Poland currently sends flights to Incheon but Korea has not operated any flights to Poland,” a ministry official said.

Poland's LOT Polish Airlines has carried passengers to Incheon but Korea's flag carrier Korean Air and its smaller rival Asiana Airlines currently have no flights to Poland, the official added.

The expansion of flights is aimed at preparing for a rise in travel demand between the two countries, as Korean companies have production facilities in Poland and are likely to export more defense industry products to the country, according to the ministry.

Last year, Korean companies secured major deals worth 17 trillion won ($13 billion) to supply K2 tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers, FA-50 light attack aircraft and Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers to Poland.

LG Energy Solution, the country's leading battery maker, has been operating its EV battery plant in Poland since 2017, and SK Nexilis, the world's largest copper foil maker, is building its plant in the east European country, the statement said.

The increase in bilateral traffic rights was agreed upon at the aviation conference with Poland’s Civil Aviation Authority on Thursday.

Meanwhile, at an earlier aviation conference with the U.K.'s Department for Transport on Nov. 13, the commercial agreement that limited the shipment of not agreed upon single cargo between airlines to only once a week, and the operation of profit-sharing cargo shipments to twice a week, was abolished.

Furthermore, with Britain's exit from the European Union, it was agreed that only British owned and controlled airlines could be the U.K.'s designated airline, and not airlines owned by EU member states.

BY KIM JU-YEON, YONHAP [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]