China routes emerge as key revenue source for struggling Korean LCCs

China is proving to be a crucial revenue source for struggling Korean low-cost carriers (LCCs), offering them access to rapidly growing passenger demand and lucrative business traffic as other short-haul markets struggle. In August, 2.13 million passengers traveled between Korea and China, surpassing the previous monthly record of 2.07 million set in August 2016 and marking a 27.5 percent increase from the same month a year earlier.

This growth is attributed to the government's allocation of additional traffic rights to major LCCs, granting them more slots on key China routes including Seoul to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Dalian. Notably, Jeju Air and Eastar Jet have secured seven weekly flights on the Incheon-Beijing route, while Parata Air and Air Premia also benefited from the increased access.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.