KOREAN AIR TO LAUNCH INCHEON – IRKUTSK SERVICE
Korean Air has introduced a twice weekly link between its Incheon International Airport base in the South Korean capital Seoul to Irkutsk. The Russian city is one of the largest in the Siberian region and is known for its continental architecture and is a gateway to an area famed for its natural beauty. The new service was introduced on June 29 and is operated by a two-class, 145-seat Boeing 737-800. The addition of Irkutsk to the route network means that Korean Air will now serve five destinations in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) - Moscow, Vladivostok, St Petersburg and Tashkent (Uzbekistan). This latest route supports the airline’s commitment to provide a wider range of links from Incheon. Geographically located at the border of Russia and Mongolia, Irkutsk is the biggest city in Eastern Siberia and the economic and cultural centre of the Irkutsk Oblast region. The city is a popular tourist destination and the starting point of tours to the massive Lake Baikal, the oldest and deepest freshwater lake in the world, which also known as the ‘Blue Eye of Siberia’, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
TURKISH DELIGHT FOR CHINA SOUTHERN
China Southern Airlines is to launch a new flight to Istanbul, its first service to Turkey. The Asian carrier is to offer a three times weekly Beijing – Urumqi – Istanbul Ataturk link from September 2. It will use a Boeing 757-200 on the route and will compete with Hainan Airlines on the Urumqi – Istanbul sector; the latter is due to inaugurate a twice weekly link that originates in Shanghai on July 11. China Southern currently offers flights to two other European destinations outside of the Russian and Commonwealth of Independent States markets, with links to Amsterdam from Beijing and Guangzhou and Paris CDG from Guangzhou. An estimated 198,000 O&D passengers travelled between Turkey and China in the past year, up 13.3 per cent on the previous 12 month period. Turkish Airlines (THY) currently dominates this market with a 79.8 per cent share of the market.
MALAYSIA AIRLINES INAUGURATES SAUDI LINK
Asian carrier Malaysia Airlines will tomorrow operate the second in a series of 15 flights it will offer between Kuala Lumpur and Riyadh. The national carrier inaugurated the link on June 24 and will offer three flights per week until July 27 to cater for the growing interest by Saudi Arabians to spend their summer holidays in Malaysia. “Malaysia is a value for money and convenient destination for the Saudi nationals as they do not need visas to visit Malaysia,” said Abu Tahir, Regional Senior Vice President for Middle East, Africa & South America, Malaysia Airlines. “We thank the Saudi authorities for their timely assistance for us to mount these flights.” Malaysia Airlines has had a long presence in Saudi Arabia with the commencement of annual Hajj services between Kuala Lumpur and Jeddah on April 1, 1974. By June 4, 1978, Jeddah was added to the airline’s network of scheduled services.
AIR KORYO SET TO SERVE SHANGHAI
North Korea’s national carrier Air Koryo is set to continue its network expansion with reports in the Chinese media that the carrier will inaugurate flights between Pyongyang and Shanghai from next month. This will be the third link into China after Beijing and Shenyang. Air Koryo plans to offer a twice weekly service from July 1 and will be mainly looking to attract Chinese specialist tour groups. The flights will operate until the end of the Northern Summer schedules. China is the sole major ally and biggest trade partner with the ‘secret’ state of North Korea.
JEJU AIR INCREASES INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS FROM BUSAN
South Korean carrier Jeju Air is to add a further international route with a flight between Busan and Bangkok due to start on June 30. The airline will compete with national carrier Korean Air which offers a daily flight using an Airbus A330-300 and Thai Airways International which has three flights per week using its older A300-600 aircraft. Jeju Air will offer four flights per week on the route but plans to increase to a daily schedule between July 14 and August 21. An estimated 173,000 O&D passengers travelled on the route in the past year, up 6.1 per cent on the previous 12 month period. Yields have also strengthened significantly on the route with the estimated average fare increasing by 10.6 per cent over the last year to $482 each way.
SHANGHAI AIRLINES TO FLY KUNMING – DUBAI SERVICE
Chinese carrier Shanghai Airlines is to take over the operation of China Eastern Airlines’ flights between Kunming and Dubai from July 16. At the same time the route will be reduced from a four times weekly schedule to a twice weekly operation. The route is currently flown by China Eastern Airlines using the Boeing 767-300ERs which belonged to its Yunnan division, but these are being retired from service and as such subsidiary Shanghai Airlines will use its own aircraft on the route. To accommodate this alteration the flight will now originate and end its service in Shanghai. China Eastern offers the sole non-stop link between Kunming and Dubai, carrying an estimated 18,000 O&D passengers during the past year.
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