News From Asia 亚洲新闻

Richard Maslen April 28, 2011

NEW LINKS BETWEEN SEOUL AND BEIJING PLANNED

Civil aviation authorities in China and South Korea have tentatively agreed to the opening of direct air services between Gimpo International Airport in Seoul and Beijing Capital International Airport. There are currently more than 185 weekly flights to Beijing from Seoul, but passengers currently have to travel to Incheon International Airport, about 32 miles (52km) west of the South Korean capital, with an estimated 1.25 million O&D passengers travelling on this route in the past year. Under this new agreement, two airlines from China and two from South Korea will be permitted to offer flights from Gimpo, which is located closer to downtown Seoul, and will offer passengers considerable convenience in terms of saving time and economic costs, according to a joint statement from the ministries. South Korea also expects the new flights, which will commence in July, will help attract more Chinese tourists to the country. In 2010, South Korea welcomed some 1.88 million Chinese tourists, up 40 per cent on the year before.

BANGKOK AIRWAYS REQUESTS INDIAN ROUTE LICENCES

It was revealed earlier this month in an exclusive interview with The HUB at Routes Asia 2011 in Incheon, South Korea, that Bangkok Airways was looking to expand its activities in India. The airline has now confirmed that it has applied to Indian aviation authorities for the rights to operate flights to Bangalore and Chennai from Bangkok. According to a senior executive, subject to approval, the Bangalore route could start before the end of this year, with Chennai following at the start of 2012. The airline also plans to boost frequencies on its Mumbai flight, launched in March this year, from six to seven times weekly, subject to securing the necessary slots. There is a huge potential for demand between the two countries as Peter Wiesner, Senior Vice President Network Management, Bangkok Airways, revealed in his interview with The HUB last month. Some 700,000 Indian nationals flew to Thailand last year, and a 15 to 20 percent increase is expected this year.

KOREAN AIR TO RESUME PASSENGER FLIGHTS TO ALASKA

Korean Air is reportedly to offer a series of seven flights from its Incheon base to Anchorage this summer, the first time it has served the Alaskan market since 2005. According to the Alaska Travel Industry Association, the South Korean carrier’s flights will enable a range of four night travel packages to be sold by travel agents and tour specialists and could being up to 1,500 passengers into the state. After reaching a peak of 1.7 million visitors in 2008, numbers slipped to 1.5 million last year, but forecasts for the year ahead are positive with between five and six percent predicted for 2011. An estimated 4,000 O&D passengers travelled between Incheon and Anchorage in the past year.

AIRASIA GOES DOUBLE DAILY ON KUALA LUMPUR – CHENNAI

Low-cost carrier AirAsia is to introduce a second daily frequency between Kuala Lumpur and Chennai from May 7, a route that competes directly with national carrier Malaysia Airlines and fellow budget operator Jet Airways. An estimated 305,000 O&D passengers travelled on the route in the past year when Air India Express and Indian Airlines also offered services. AirAsia dominates the traffic between the two destinations despite Jet and Malaysian already offering double daily flights, accounting for around 28 per cent of the market. Its yields are also believed to be stronger than its rivals with average fares of around $163 each way, around 20 per cent higher than the other operators.

AIR BUSAN CONFIRMS REVISED TOKYO START DATE

Air Busan will inaugurate flights between Busan and Tokyo Narita on June 23, two months after it had originally planned to commence the new route. The South Korean carrier had initially proposed an April 28 start date for the daily link but has never opened reservations for the flight and latterly deferred the launch following last month’s earthquake. This is a strong route for international traffic with approximately 120,000 O&D passengers travelling between the two cities in the last year and the introduction of a low-cost carrier on the route could certainly stimulate the market further. Air Busan is a subsidiary of Asiana Airlines and this expansion is a clear move by the South Korean carrier to boost its own presence on this route. The market is dominated by Korean Air and Dragonair with Asiana Airlines accounting for just nine per cent of the traffic. This will be Air Busan’s fifth international route. It already offers flights from Busan to Cebu, Fukuoka, Osaka Kansai and Taipei, as well as domestic connections to Jeju and Seoul. The Busan – Tokyo Narita route is already served daily by Delta Air Lines (a former Northwest Airlines route inherited following the airlines’ merger) and Korean Air and twice daily by Japan Airlines. An estimated 382,000 O&D passengers utilised these flights over the past year, a 12.8 per cent rise over the previous 12 month period.