The number of weekly flights between Gimpo International Airport in Seoul and Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan, from Oct. 30 will be doubled from 28 to 56. Shown are passengers on July 24 preparing for their departure for Haneda at the international flights section of the Gimpo airport in Seoul's Gangseo-gu District. (Yonhap News)

By Jung Joo-ri

The number of flights between Gimpo International Airport in Seoul and Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan, will be doubled from Oct. 30.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Oct. 11 said that from late this month, it will increase the number of weekly flights on the Gimpo-Haneda route to 56 from 28.

Thus airlines with flights on the route can run two flights a day. The schedules of carriers that use the route like Korean Air, Asiana, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways are available on their respective websites.

The ministry said the decision to double the number of flights was part of follow-up measures based on an agreement between the Korean and Japanese governments to resume the route first with eight flights a week from June 29 and raising that number to 28 from July 25.

Launched in 2003, the route is an extremely popular one as it saw 84 flights a week in 2019 before the outbreak of COVID-19 due to its excellent accessibility to the capitals of both countries.

Japan on Oct. 11 also resumed visa-free entry for tourists from 68 countries and regions including Korea. 

The ministry pledged to "actively support the increase of flights on other routes to Japan since demand for them is growing."

etoilejr@korea.kr