Air Seoul marks 10th anniversary of Incheon–Takamatsu route

Air Seoul held a ceremony at Takamatsu Airport in Japan on Thursday to mark the 10th anniversary of its Incheon–Takamatsu route, the airline announced Tuesday.

Air Seoul launched the Incheon–Takamatsu route on Oct. 7, 2016, becoming the first South Korean low-cost carrier to operate the service, initially with three flights per week and its first international route. The airline increased frequency to five weekly flights on Oct. 19 of that year, then expanded to daily operations in October 2018 on the back of strong load factors.

Cumulative passengers on the Takamatsu route reached approximately 610,000 from launch through September this year. The route posted an annual load factor of 87 percent last year, and on the anniversary day the round-trip load factor hit 97 percent.

"If the past 10 years were about laying the groundwork for exchange between the two regions, the next 10 years will be an opportunity to leap even further forward," Air Seoul CEO Kim Jung-ho said.

Kagawa Prefecture Governor Ikeda Toyohito said exchanges with South Korea were growing more active across a wide range of fields. "We will continue to carry out promotions and other initiatives at the prefectural level so that this vibrant exchange can go on for many years to come," he added.

Takamatsu Airport President Hirase Takehiro expressed gratitude, saying Korean tourists had become a constant presence on the streets. "It is Air Seoul's 10 years of effort that have brought Kagawa Prefecture and South Korea closer together, and the benefits the continued route brings to the region are immense," he said.

An Air Seoul official said the carrier would continue to improve travel convenience for tourists from both countries by maintaining a stable daily flight schedule.

Meanwhile, Air Seoul is actively expanding its route network to enhance passenger convenience, including operating one round-trip charter flight each on Oct. 31 and Nov. 2 on the Jeju–Kumamoto route.