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While Gimhae International Airport focuses on securing long-distance routes exceeding 5,000 km, such as Indonesia, it has also identified Istanbul and Warsaw, Poland, with distances of approximately 8,000 km, as key potential routes.
Gimhae Airport, operated by the Korea Airports Corporation, announced on the 9th its intentions to engage in discussions with several airlines regarding the launch of new routes during the upcoming World Route Development Conference in Istanbul.
These discussions are expected to involve prominent airlines like Turkish Airlines and Polish Airlines, along with Indonesian flag carriers.
This initiative stems from the keen interest expressed by these airlines in the Busan-Istanbul and Busan-Warsaw routes during a briefing session on the long-distance route incentive system, held jointly by Gimhae Airport and Busan City in June last year, followed by subsequent business meetings.
Istanbul Airport serves as a crucial gateway hub to Europe and aligns with Busan’s aspirations for long-distance connectivity.
Turkish Airlines stands to benefit from the robust demand for Korean tourism, with current regular flights between Incheon and Istanbul boasting an impressive average load factor of over 90% on their 11 weekly trips.
Warsaw Airport, on the other hand, offers the advantage of being a European route, and with growing cooperation in the defense industry between South Korea and Poland, particularly in the southern region where entities like Korea Aerospace (KAI) are situated, it’s anticipated that demand for this route will rise.
Gimhae Airport aims to encourage trial flights for irregular services, eventually solidifying them as regular routes.
