Three foreign carriers to start flights to S Korea
(SEOUL) Air India Ltd and two other overseas carriers will start flights to South Korea because of growing demand for air travel and cargo, the Ministry of Construction and Transportation said.
Air India will resume flights connecting Mumbai, New Delhi, Hong Kong and Seoul four times a week from today, the ministry said in a statement on its website. The air carrier halted flights in March 1998 during the financial crisis.
Thai Sky Airlines will start a Bangkok-Seoul flight three times a week from Aug 11 and Russian Sky Airlines will offer twice-a-week cargo flights linking the south-central Russian city of Abakan with Seoul from today.
The South Korean government aims to make Incheon International Airport, which serves Seoul, one of the world's busiest airfreight hubs. It is trying to grab market share from other airports in Shanghai, Taipei and Tokyo's Narita.
'We expect these services not only to increase exchanges between South Korea and these countries but also to help us make Incheon International Airport into a hub,' the statement said. The new flights will raise to 59 the number of airlines based overseas flying to South Korea.
The need for Air India to resume flights arose because of the increase in travel demand as South Korean companies venture into India, the ministry said.
Korean Air Lines Co currently flies three times a week from Incheon International Airport to Mumbai while Asiana Airlines Inc flies to New Delhi three times a week.
Posco, the world's fifth-largest steelmaker, signed an agreement on June 22 to spend US$12 billion on a steel project in India, making it the largest overseas investment in the country and the biggest for a South Korean company. - Bloomberg