Korean carrier Asiana Airlines launched a new daily direct service from Seoul to the eastern port city of Vladivostok, Russia on November 16.
The route is served by an A321-200 with 171 seats – 159 in economy and 12 in business class. The flight departs Seoul's main airport at 0920, arriving in Vladivostok at 1350. The return leg then leaves at 1510 from Russia to touch down at Incheon at 1550.
Vladivostok is Russia's main port in the Pacific Ocean, and a gateway for trade and economic activity with North Asian countries including South Korea and Japan. It is also the largest city in Russian Far East, after Khabarovsk.
Asiana said it hopes to tap in to the already substantial demand for business travel, as well as capitalise on the growing tourism to the seaside city. It also emphasised that the new service allows them to deliver a complete "triangle route" between Vladivostok, Sakhalin island and Khabarovsk. Sakhalin is rich in oil and natural gas, and in September last year, the Sakhalin-Khabarovsk-Vladivostok gas pipeline was launched, allowing the easy transport of gas to Russia's Sakhalin region, Khabarovsk and Primorye territories as well as paving the way for supplies to the Asia-Pacific.
For more information, visit http://flyasiana.com
Alex Andersson
