The route connecting Haneda Airport and Kimpo (Gimpo) Airport near Seoul, South Korea, which had been suspended for more than two years due to the effects of the new coronavirus, resumed operations on the 29th.
The routes between Haneda Airport and Gimpo Airport, which are easily accessible to the centers of the capitals of both countries, have been suspended since March due to the influence of the new coronavirus. Operation has resumed for the first time in a month.
Before the spread of the new corona, 84 round trips were operated a week, but for the time being, a total of 16 flights will be operated, 8 round trips a week.
At Gimpo Airport, South Korea
A commemorative ceremony was held at the departure terminal of Gimpo Airport on the morning of the 29th.
Officials from the Korean government and the Japanese embassy attended the ceremony, and the representatives of the passengers were handed out bouquets and souvenirs.
A Korean office worker who travels to Tokyo on a business trip said, "I used to use the routes between Narita Airport and Incheon Airport, but it's easier to get to Tokyo and I'm closer to my business destination. Thank you for being on top of it. "
Prior to this, the South Korean government has resumed the issuance of tourist visas from June 1, and it is expected that the resumption of routes will increase the traffic between the two countries.
The Yoon Seok-you administration also said that it would "hope to be a stimulus to stimulate exchanges between Japan and South Korea" regarding the resumption of routes.
At Haneda Airport
On the morning of the 29th, business passengers and others were checking in at the check-in counter for flights to Kimpo at Haneda Airport.
A Korean office worker in his thirties who lives in Japan said, "I chose this route because it is convenient to live near Haneda. I am very happy to see my family for the first time in three years."
Sadaya Sejima, the manager of the Korean Air East Japan Branch, said, "Since there are many voices that want to go back and forth between each other's countries, we are expecting further relaxation of border measures and full-scale tourist traffic."