South Korea and China Agree to Increase Flight Frequency

SEOUL, June 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and China have agreed to increase the frequency of flights between the two countries amid growing bilateral exchanges, the transport ministry said Thursday.

For the first time since 2019, the two countries agreed to expand bilateral traffic rights by 70 weekly flights during the South Korea-China aviation talks held in Seoul last month, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Under the agreement, passenger flights will be increased to 664 per week, while cargo flights will be expanded to 68 per week, the ministry added.

The number of passengers traveling to China from South Korea has rebounded to surpass the level seen before the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly 4.4 million using the route in the first quarter of this year, according to ministry data.

The transport ministry said it plans to allocate the newly secured international air traffic rights to local airlines as early as the second half of the year.