South Korea’s budget carrier Air Busan, a subsidiary of the country’s full-service name Asiana Airlines, is readying to reopen weekly flight from Incheon, Korea to Shenzhen, China on July 17 for the first time in 131 days ago amid shutdown in international borders from virus pandemic.

It has obtained a quarantine approval from the local government of China and is awaiting go-ahead from Chinese aviation authority.

Once approved, the route will be operated once a week on Fridays. The flight will depart from Incheon at 7:50 a.m. to arrive in Shenzhen at 11:20 a.m. every Friday and then will return from Shenzhen at 12:50 p.m. to land in Incheon at 5:15 p.m. on the same day.

It would be the first resumption of an international route since the carrier suspended all flights outside Korea on March 9 due to pandemic-led lockdowns across the globe. Beijing also announced a strict restriction policy to allow only one flight per airline a week between the two countries to reduce the coronavirus cases from outside the country in March.

Air Busan is hoping to expand the flights to twice a week and add resumption of service between Incheon and Ningbo.

“The reopen of Incheon-Shenzhen flight route will help meet the rising demand for traveling from those who live or study there,” said a company official.

The airliner hopes to normalize its services from its home ground once airport of entry barriers are lifted from Gimhae International Airport in Busan.

Currently, three Korean airliners run flights to China – full-service name Korean Air Lines to Shenyan, Asiana Airlines to Changchun, and LCC Jeju Air to Weihai. Asiana AirLines will resume services to Nanjing, China on Sunday upon the approval from the Chinese authority for the operation. Others are expected to follow suit.

By Pulse

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