Travelers from Busan could soon have more options for flying to China, with new operating rights awarded for routes from Gimhae International Airport to Chengdu, Harbin and Hangzhou.
Air Busan has received rights to operate four weekly flights between Busan and Chengdu and another four weekly flights between Busan and Harbin. Jin Air was awarded rights for two weekly flights between Busan and Hangzhou.
Specific launch dates have not yet been announced. The airlines must first secure airport slots before finalizing their schedules.
The new routes are part of a broader allocation of international traffic rights by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which distributed rights for 25 routes among 10 Korean airlines.
The expansion follows an aviation agreement between Korea and China in May that increased traffic rights between the two countries for the first time since 2019.
The additional China routes come as international passenger traffic at Gimhae Airport continues to grow. From January through August, the airport handled more than 8.23 million international passengers.
July and August alone recorded about 2.16 million, up 21% from the same period last year.
Korea Airports Corporation expects Gimhae Airport to reach around 12 million international passengers for the full year.
