SINGAPORE, 5 October 2023: Korean Air will expand operations for the winter season to meet resurgent travel demand by resuming services and increasing operations to China, Japan, Southeast Asia, North America and Oceania. 

The airline will also launch a new scheduled service to Phu Quoc, Vietnam, on 26 November.

The IATA (International Air Transport Association) winter season begins on the last Sunday of October and ends on the last Saturday of March every year (29 October 29 2023 to 30 March 2024).

Korean Air’s seat capacity (measured by Available Seat Kilometers or ASK) reached approximately 85% of pre-pandemic levels last September and is expected to recover to over 90% with the launch of the winter schedule.

■ New daily service to Phu Quoc, Vietnam

Korean Air will launch a new daily service to Phu Quoc, Vietnam, on 26 November. Vietnam’s largest island, Phu Quoc, is also known as “Pearl Island.” The daily flight departs from Seoul Incheon at 1545 to land in Phu Quoc at 1950. The return flight will depart Phu Quoc at 2120 and arrive in Seoul Incheon on the day at 0450.

Phu Quoc, located in the westernmost part of southern Vietnam, is a designated UNESCO biosphere reserve featuring pristine white beaches and evergreen forests. From marine activities and the national park to resorts, the island is an ideal destination for sun seekers year-round. November is the best time to travel to Phu Quoc as the dry season begins.

■ Resuming services to cities in China and Japan  

After a three-year and seven-month pause, Korean Air will resume services to three cities in China and Japan respectively. Network recovery in China and Japan has been relatively slower than other regions, and the resumption will help the airline restore its expansive global network.

For the China routes, Busan-Shanghai and Seoul Incheon-Xiamen will operate daily, and Seoul Incheon-Kunming four times a week. Korean Air will proactively increase its capacity to China to meet the growing number of Chinese visitors, especially following China’s resumption of group tours from August to 78 countries, including Korea, Japan and the US.

From late October, the airline will resume routes from Seoul Incheon to Kagoshima, Niigata and Okayama with three weekly flights. The resumption will offer schedule diversity and options for those exploring smaller Japanese cities.

■ Increasing frequencies to China, Japan, Southeast Asia, Oceania and North America

Korean Air will expand its China network capacity by increasing the Seoul Incheon-Beijing frequency to 18 times a week from daily, Jeju-Beijing to four times a week from three, Seoul Incheon-Shenzhen and Seoul Incheon-Xian increase to daily from four times a week, Seoul Incheon-Wuhan to four times a week from three, and Seoul Incheon-Hong Kong frequency will double from twice daily to four daily.

Korean Air will increase frequencies on the Seoul Incheon-Osaka and Seoul Incheon-Fukuoka routes to four daily from three and on the Seoul Incheon-Tokyo Narita route to four daily from two. The airline will also expand services on the Seoul Incheon-Nagoya route to operate 17 times a week from two daily until 27 December.

As for Southeast Asia, the airline will increase flights on the Incheon-Bangkok route to five times daily from three; the Incheon-Manila route to three times daily from two; and the Seoul Incheon-Delhi and Seoul Incheon-Kathmandu routes to four times a week from three. The Incheon-Chiang Mai route frequency will increase to twice daily from daily until 2 March next year.

Frequencies on the Seoul Incheon-Auckland and Seoul Incheon-Brisbane routes will increase daily from five weekly from 10 November to 18 March 2024. The Seoul Incheon-Las Vegas route frequency will also increase to five weekly from four.