South Korea, China agree first expansion in flight rights in seven years

South Korea and China have reached an agreement to expand weekly flight rights between the two nations, marking the first such increase in seven years. The deal, finalized during bilateral aviation talks in Seoul, will add 56 passenger flights and 14 cargo flights per week, raising the total to 664 passenger and 68 cargo flights.

This expansion will ease access on popular routes like Incheon to Shanghai and Guangzhou, where existing rights were fully utilized. It also opens up new routes from South Korea's regional airports, including Busan and Cheongju, to ten Chinese cities. Passenger traffic between the two countries already surpassed pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter, reaching approximately 4.39 million.

Officials anticipate the agreement will significantly boost Chinese tourism to South Korea, improve travel convenience for citizens and businesses, and stimulate the economy. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to allocate the newly secured flight rights to South Korean airlines in the latter half of the year, further enhancing air connectivity.

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We expect this agreement to help promote visits to South Korea by Chinese tourists, improve convenience for our citizens travelling to China and for import-export companies, and contribute to revitalising the economy by further boosting Korean airlines' entry into the Chinese market.