Asiana to temporarily halt flights to Vladivostok, Bali, Yangon

Asiana Airlines Inc., South Korea's No. 2 full-service carrier, said Friday that it will temporarily suspend flight services to Vladivostok, Bali and Yangon due to weak demand.

The company said it will halt flights to Vladivostok in Russia's Far East starting Feb. 1, while services to Indonesia's resort of Bali and Myanmar's capital will be discontinued March 1.

Asiana currently operates four weekly flights to the Russian port city and two to the two Southeast Asian destinations.

The company said it has been mulling the suspension of these routes for some time in the face of weak passenger traffic.

Asiana said for passengers that have already booked tickets, it has taken steps for them to use other airlines. The company added that it will give full refunds to people opting to cancel flights.

Korean Air Lines Co. operates flights to all three cities.

"Every effort will be made to reduce passenger inconvenience," Asiana said.

Asiana, meanwhile, is awaiting regulatory approval of its plan to set up another low cost carrier. If permission is granted, it will be the company's second no-frills airline after Air Busan.

Air Busan is jointly owned by Asiana, the city of Busan and local businesses, and uses Gimhae International Airport as its main hub.

The new company, to be called Air Seoul, would be a wholly owned subsidiary that would operate flights to Japan, China and Southeast Asia. (Yonhap)