Key facts
- South Korea and China agreed to expand weekly flight rights.
- This is the first expansion in seven years.
- Passenger flights will increase by 56 weekly to 664.
- Cargo rights will increase by 14 weekly to 68.
- New routes will be opened from South Korea's regional airports to 10 Chinese cities.
- First-quarter passenger traffic between the two countries exceeded pre-pandemic levels.
South Korea and China have agreed to expand their weekly flight rights for the first time in seven years, following bilateral aviation talks held in Seoul from May 27-28. The agreement will increase passenger flight rights by 56 weekly flights to a total of 664, and cargo rights by 14 weekly flights to 68. This expansion is expected to ease the addition of flights on high-demand routes like Incheon to Shanghai and Guangzhou, where existing rights were fully utilized. It will also facilitate new routes from South Korean regional airports, including Busan and Cheongju, to ten Chinese cities. First-quarter passenger traffic between the two countries reached 4.39 million, surpassing the pre-pandemic level of 4.14 million. Ministry officials anticipate the deal will boost Chinese tourism to South Korea, improve travel convenience for citizens, support import-export companies, and help revitalize the economy by increasing Korean airlines' access to the Chinese market. The ministry plans to allocate the new rights to South Korean airlines in the latter half of the year.