Korean Air is further reducing services between South Korea and Japan amid an ongoing trade dispute between the two countries by downgauging aircraft on some Korea-Japan routes.
Business Traveller Asia-Pacific reported on 31 July that several Korean airlines – including Korean Air, Asiana, T’way Air and Eastar Jet – were cutting routes to Japan or reducing service on some routes to Japan. Korean Air said at the time that it would suspend flights from Busan to Sapporo from September 3.
Today, an airline spokesperson contacted Business Traveller Asia-Pacific to say that following the suspension of the Busan-Sapporo route, Korean Air will reduce the capacity of its Incheon-Sapporo/Osaka/Fukuoka/Nagoya routes, which originally used “mid-sized fleets”. The exception will be during some periods such as the Chuseok holidays.
Details of the route changes are as follows (according to information provided by Korean Air):
- Incheon-Sapporo route: From August 12 to October 26
Partial change from B777-300ER (291 seats) to A330-300 (276 seats), B777-200ER (248 seats)
- Incheon-Osaka route: From August 19 to October 26
Partial change from B777-300ER (291 seats) to A330-200 (218 seats), A330-300 (276 seats)
- Incheon-Fukuoka route: From August 19 to October 26
Partial change from B777-300ER (291 seats) to B787-9 (269 seats), B777-200ER (248 seats)
- Incheon-Nagoya route: From September 11 to October 26
Partial change from A330-200 (218 seats) to B737-900ER (159 seats), B737-800 (138 seats)
