Due to the recent decline in COVID-19 infections, the number of weekly flights to overseas destinations will increase and international flight service at regional airports will resume. The photo shows an electronic signboard on April 5 displaying flight schedules at the departure section of Incheon International Airport's Terminal 1. (Yonhap News)
By Kim Hyelin and Yoon Hee Young
Amid the decrease in the number of COVID-19 infections for the third consecutive week, the government will raise the weekly number of international flights and have international flight service resume at regional airports.
Minister of the Interior and Safety Jeon Hae-cheol, who is concurrently second assistant director of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, on April 6 said the decision stemmed from the expected growth in demand for overseas travel as many countries have eased quarantine policy with the passing of the peak of the omicron wave.
"From next month, the weekly number of international flights will be raised by 100 for the Americas, Europe, Thailand and Singapore, where quarantine exemptions and visa-free entry are available, and international flight service will be expanded to regional airports," he said. "As the number of infections has declined for three straight weeks after a surge lasting 10 weeks, the figure is expected to decrease further."
Earlier on March 31, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in a meeting of a pan-ministerial body on evaluating the situation agreed with quarantine authorities on a phased plan on "return to normal life" to recover 50% of the 2019 scale of international flight operations by the end of the year.
The plan to recover international flight operations has three phases.
The first is adding 100 weekly international flights each next month and in June for 420 flights per week in April, 520 in May and 620 in June. International flights now are available at just two regional airports -- Gimhae International Airport in Busan and Daegu International Airport, but will resume at air hubs next month in Muan-gun County, Jeollanam-do Province; Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do Province; and Jeju Island and in June at those in Gimpo, Gyeonggi-do Province, and Yangyang-gun County, Gangwon-do Province.
The second step starts during the endemic phase in July by adding 300 weekly flights every month. The number of arriving flights per hour at Incheon International Airport will be expanded to 30.
After the coronavirus becomes endemic, the third phase will have all flight services return to their pre-pandemic levels.
The ministry said that if things go according to plan, recovery in the number of international flights will reach 40% of 2019 levels by October (1,820 flights per week) and 51% by November (2,420).