S. Korea, Palau agree to expand flights on soaring demand

SEOUL, June 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and Palau have agreed to lift the limit on the number of flights between the two countries due to rising demand, the transport ministry said Friday.

Korean Air Lines Co. and Asiana Airlines Inc., the country's two biggest carriers, were allowed to serve a combined six flights a week during the winter months last year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement.

All the flights have been suspended due to the new coronavirus outbreak since early this year.

Under the agreement, the country's low-cost carriers will be allowed to fly to Palau, an archipelago of over 500 islands, which is part of the Micronesia region in the western Pacific Ocean, the statement said.

Air passenger demand on the Incheon-Palau route jumped to 49,265 in 2019 from 38,187 in 2015, posting an average of 5.2 percent growth for the past five-year period, it said.

kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
(END)