Domestic flights connecting Incheon International Airport and Jeju Airport will resume after a 10-year suspension.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) said Thursday that it has approved Jeju Air's (089590.KQ) application for the Incheon-Jeju domestic route, with scheduled services to begin on May 12. The route has been suspended since 2016.
Jeju Air will operate two round-trip flights per week starting May 12. In May, flights will run on Tuesdays and Saturdays, shifting to Mondays and Fridays from June. The airline will deploy B737-800 (189 seats) or B737-8 (174 seats) aircraft. Jeju Air plans to complete final inspections of domestic check-in facilities and baggage handling systems at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 and obtain business plan approval before launching operations.
The route resumption is part of MOLIT's policy to revitalize regional airports. On February 25, the ministry announced plans to reopen the Incheon-Jeju route and expand domestic transfer flights on the Incheon-Gimhae route at the National Tourism Strategy Meeting. Domestic transfer flights are services exclusively for passengers connecting to and from international flights. The Incheon-Gimhae domestic transfer service will also increase from 35 to 39 flights per week starting in April.
MOLIT said it will also work to improve transfer convenience for international passengers at Incheon Airport connecting to domestic flights, in line with the new Incheon-Jeju route launch.
"We expect this new route to improve travel convenience for tourists visiting Jeju," said Joo Jong-wan, director general of aviation policy at MOLIT. "We will continue working to revitalize regional airports, including expanding the domestic aviation network between Incheon International Airport and regional airports."