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Asiana seen to add more flights to NMI
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Posted on Jun 10 2005
Asiana Airlines will be adding three weekly flights between Korea and the Northern Marianas beginning July 14, in anticipation of the increased passenger demand during the summer season.
The extra flights will remain in place until further notice, or for as long as there is demand in the Korean market, said Asiana Saipan general manager Kim Kwang Joong.
The additional service will bring to 10 the number of Asiana flights between Seoul and Saipan.
Airbus 321 aircraft, which has a seat capacity of 177 passengers, will service the additional flights. These planes are smaller than the 260-seater Boeing 767 aircraft that Asiana uses for its regularly scheduled flights to Saipan.
“Our head office has not approved the schedule yet, but I am very confident that the extra flights will happen. Actually, if I could have my way, I want us to have twice-daily flights to Saipan,” said Kim.
He expressed confidence that the Korea tourism market would continue on its way to recovery.
The market only started to post growth in arrivals several months ago, after almost two years of slump caused by the SARS epidemic and the war in Iraq in 2003, as well as Asiana’s subsequent termination of its Pusan-Saipan flights.
“I think the Korea market will continue to get better. Our load factor has really improved compared to last year’s. Before, our flights only had 55 to 70 percent load factor. Now, we average over 70 percent,” Kim said.
Korea is one of the Northern Marianas’ largest tourism market, second only to Japan.
