◀ anchor ▶
The government has decided to gradually lift international flights, which have been virtually blocked since the corona virus, from May.
The ultimate goal is to fully restore to pre-COVID levels.
When will we be able to travel freely abroad?
Reporters out at Incheon International Airport, I’ll connect you.
Correspondent Ko Eun-sang. After the outbreak of Corona, Incheon Airport was practically closed.
Is that still the case now?
◀ reporter ▶
That’s right. The place where I am is the departure hall of Terminal 2, and as you can see, it is quiet.
There is a flight to Hawaii at 8:30 shortly after, but there are not many passengers.
Before the outbreak of Corona, 4,700 flights a week took off at Incheon Airport.
But now, including cargo planes, there are only 420 flights.
Before Corona, 200,000 people came in and out a day, but today there are only 20,000.
It’s a tenth of a piece.
Unfortunately, there are not many people on the plane that take off.
If you look at the load factor, Southeast Asia is about half, the Americas is around 40%, and Europe is only around 30%.
Most of the outbound travelers I met at the airport today were not for tourism, but for study abroad or visiting relatives.
Would you like to hear it?
[이경섭]
“No. I’ve never been out. It’s the first time I’ve been out in three years.
◀ anchor ▶
Now, is this quiet landscape finally changing?
◀ reporter ▶
Let’s take a look at the plan the government announced today.
First of all, in May and June, it increases by 100 episodes a week, and from July, it increases by 300 episodes every month.
In this way, in November, 2,420 flights will appear and take off per week.
It will recover to about half of what it was before Corona.
◀ anchor ▶
So when will we be able to travel abroad freely?
◀ reporter ▶
That depends on how quickly the corona is caught.
The government said that if Corona becomes an endemic, that is, when it becomes an endemic disease that we have to live with like the flu, we will completely normalize international flights.
There are still procedures such as PCR test that you must take when you return home, but I think you can carefully plan your overseas trip from this summer onwards.
So far, it has been delivered from Incheon International Airport.
Video coverage: Jae-Hoon Han / Video editing: Jo Ki-beom
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