China, South Korea to return flights to pre-virus levels, will more than triple by end of March

Flights between China and South Korea had dropped from around 1,100 per week in 2019 to 62 last month due to coronavirus restrictions

Korean airlines will increase their flight frequency to more than 200 per week by the end of March following an agreement between officials from both countries

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The number of flights between China and South Korea had been severely impacted due to coronavirus restrictions, having dropped from around 1,100 per week in 2019 to 62 last month. Photo: Reuters

Published: 5:00pm, 3 Mar 2023

Flights between South Korea and China will gradually return to pre-coronavirus levels, starting from Friday, with the number of weekly trips expected to more than triple by the end of the month.

The Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on Friday that it had reached an agreement with the Civil Aviation Administration of China to remove restrictions on the number of flights.

The number of flights had been severely impacted due to coronavirus restrictions, having dropped from around 1,100 per week in 2019 to 62 last month.

Korean airlines will, as part of the new agreement, increase their flight frequency to more than 200 per week by the end of March, with the number set to continue to increase gradually.

The Korean business community in China welcomed the news, saying that it has been “regaining vitality” as buyers from South Korea who were previously not able to come to China have recently started to return as the two governments began loosening visa restrictions.

The increase in buyers flying in from Korea is revitalising the stagnant local Korean community and fostering self-sufficiency

Bae Bo-kyun

“The increase in buyers flying in from Korea is revitalising the stagnant local Korean community and fostering self-sufficiency,” said Bae Bo-kyun, president of the Korean Merchants Association in Foshan in China’s southern Guangdong province.