SEOUL - South Korea and China have agreed to expand weekly flight rights between the two countries for the first time in seven years, reflecting growing exchanges and improving bilateral ties.
The agreement was reached during bilateral aviation talks held in Seoul from May 27 to 28, as reported by The Straits Times.
Under the deal, weekly passenger flight rights will increase by 56 services to 664 from 608, while weekly cargo flight rights will also rise by 14 services to 68 from 54.
South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said the expansion would support high-demand routes where existing flight allocations had already been fully utilised.
These include routes connecting Incheon with major Chinese cities such as Shanghai and Guangzhou.
The agreement will also allow greater connectivity between South Korea’s regional airports and Chinese destinations.
Additional services are expected to be introduced from Busan and Cheongju to cities including Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Chongqing and Xi’an.
The ministry said passenger traffic between the two countries reached approximately 4.39 million in the first quarter of this year.
The figure exceeded the pre-pandemic level of 4.14 million recorded during the same period before Covid-19 disruptions.
Lee So-young, head of aviation policy at the ministry, welcomed the agreement amid growing people-to-people and business exchanges.
“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,” Lee said.
The ministry said the newly secured flight rights would be allocated to South Korean airlines in the second half of 2026.
Air connectivity between South Korea and China was significantly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to widespread travel restrictions and reduced flight schedules.
As travel demand has recovered, both countries have gradually restored aviation links to support tourism, trade and business travel.
China remains one of South Korea’s largest tourism and trading partners, while South Korea is a key destination for Chinese tourists and investors.
Expanded flight capacity is expected to strengthen economic cooperation, facilitate business exchanges and support recovery in the aviation and tourism sectors.
