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Hopes high for regional transport role

South Korea wants to replace Japan as northeast Asia's air transport hub, once a massive new airport is completed.

Construction of the ultra-modern Inchon International Airport is underway on an island 50 kilometres from Seoul and due to open in 2000.

With four runways and facilities for 155 aircraft, it is designed to replace Kimpo International Airport and succeed Tokyo's overcrowded Narita International Airport as the regional gateway.

Kimpo is already reaching capacity, catering to 32 million passengers a year.

Inchon will be capable of processing 100 million passengers from 530,000 flights - along with seven million tonnes of cargo.

The world's busiest airport was Chicago's O'Hare, handling 59 million passengers a year, but the massive Inchon project would prepare Korea for all air transport demands in the 21st century, said Korea Airport Construction Authority spokesman Ahn Jeong-jun.

'Once completed, it will play a central role as the transport hub of northeast Asia,' he said.

When Inchon opens, it will still need 20 years work for completion.

In the meantime, the country's two top carriers, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, are gearing up to capitalise on the country's anticipated gateway role.

Korean Air, which flies twice daily to Hong Kong (with three flights on Monday, Thursday and Saturday), is expanding its regional route network and modernising its fleet.

A new route was recently opened to Harbin and the carrier hopes to soon add Kunming and Guilin. Its mainland net takes in eight cities.

By 2005, the carrier, which flies to 92 cities worldwide, aimed to be serving 140, said Korean Air president Cho Yang-ho.

Its 114-strong fleet, which is being modernised in a US$10 million investment programme, will by then number 200.

Meanwhile, Asiana Airlines, which has captured a 30 per cent share of Korea's domestic market since being launched in the early 1990s, hopes to increase its flight frequency to Hong Kong once the SAR's new international airport opens next year.

Having inaugurated a Hong Kong service in 1991 with three flights a week, the frequency has gone up to 10 flights, along with another three to Macau.

But Asiana's regional manager for Hong Kong, Macau and southern China, J. J. Kim, said: 'We hope to increase our frequency to Hong Kong next year.

'Air service talks will take place before the airport opens at Chek Lap Kok and we will be negotiating for additional flights. Our target is to fly twice daily to Hong Kong.

'It is a successful market for us, especially the cargo business,' said Mr Kim.

As South Korea's ambitious plans to become an aviation hub for northeastern Asia develop, he said Asiana was also keen to develop US-bound business for both passengers and cargo.

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