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Kansai International is just one of the airports that will benefit from the open skies accord |
ASIA. Japan and South Korea have agreed in principle to liberalise regular flights between the two countries in a move to create “Asia’s gateway to the world”, the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced today.
Under the latest deregulation agreement, the two countries will remove intergovernmental agreements restricting the number of regular flights between Japan and South Korea, the size of aircraft and the range of airports used for such flight services.
The move allows Japanese and South Korean airlines to launch regular flights between the two countries except for those using Narita International Airport, east of Tokyo, and Incheon International Airport near Seoul, both of which face tight traffic capacity.
The Japanese transport ministry also noted that South Korea is considering introducing flight services to airports in the northernmost territory of Hokkaido, as well as to an airport in Shizuoka territory, central Japan, to be opened in March 2009.
Japan is promoting open skies accords with Asian neighbours under the “Asia Gateway” strategy, adopted in May this year.
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