South Korea to launch non-landing international sightseeing flights in December 2020

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

According to Korea Central Daily News, the South Korean government plans to allow South Korean airlines to operate "non-landing international sightseeing flights" within one year. Passengers can depart by plane in South Korea, fly over other countries for 2 to 3 hours, and then return to South Korean airports. In this process, passengers can also realize duty-free shopping without leaving the country.

On 19 November, the "Non-landing International Sightseeing Flight Product Promotion Plan" with the above content was announced at the meeting of the Emergency Economic Central Countermeasures Headquarters and the Ministers Meeting of the Korean New Deal in the Seoul Building of the Korean Government. Hong Nanji, Deputy Prime Minister of Economy and Minister of Planning and Finance, stated that “the long-term suspension of international flights has caused serious employment crises in the aviation, travel and duty-free industries, leading to challenges for the survival of companies”, “to support these companies to survive the crisis and stimulate social consumption. , The government intends to introduce a new form of non-landing international sightseeing flight products".

South Korea plans to allow airlines to operate international flights without immigration procedures for more than a year from December this year to December 2021. Passengers still need inspection and quarantine when taking flights, but they do not need to undergo quarantine or virus testing after entry.

Passengers can also visit duty-free shops like taking ordinary international flights and enjoy tax-free concessions. They can purchase up to 1 bottle of wine (1 liter, less than 400 US dollars), 200 cigarettes, 60 ml of perfume, etc. The total consumption amount does not exceed 600 US dollars. Both duty-free shops on board and immigration duty-free shops are open to passengers.

Economic benefits of non-landing international flights

Deputy Prime Minister Hong stated, “Relevant government departments are maintaining close communication and cooperation with the industry, and strive to complete the procedural preparations within this month to help airlines launch international travel products that do not require landing overseas”. At present, six airlines including Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air, Jin Air, T'way Air, and Air Busan are preparing related products, which are expected to be launched on the market by December 2020.

The government also released samples of similar products. The "A380" model with an approved capacity of 407 passengers can allow up to 300 passengers. In order to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and facilitate response when suspected symptoms are discovered, the number of passengers in the cabin must be kept within 3/4 of the number of seats. The per capita fare for sightseeing routes departing from Incheon through the East China Sea, Busan, the Korean Strait, and Jeju and returning to Incheon after a flight of 2,000 kilometers may be between 200,000 and 300,000 Won. In order to prevent an outbreak of demand in the initial stage of the product launch, the government plans to limit the number of flights allowed to be issued per day to less than three. Each airline can launch 1 to 2 flights of this type every week, and from March next year, the number of flights can be flexibly adjusted according to demand.

There are also "no-landing sightseeing flight products" on the Korean market. Prior to this, the low-cost airlines introduced "sightseeing flights", "flights without destinations" and other chartered sightseeing products, but passengers with these types of tickets cannot go shopping in duty-free shops.