Jeju Air to resume flights to Saipan next month

Jeju Air Co., South Korea's biggest budget carrier by sales, said Thursday it will resume flights to Saipan late next month in a preemptive measure to absorb post-coronavirus travel demand.

Jeju Air plans to reopen the Incheon-Saipan route on May 28 upon permission from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, a company spokesman said over the phone.

"The transport ministry is in consultations with the health authorities to decide whether to approve one flight a week on the route," he said.

The company expects most of the passengers to be businessmen, Koreans residing overseas and their family members.

Incoming passengers from Saipan are required to undergo a mandatory two-week quarantine in their homes, while passengers from South Korea should stay for five days at a government facility in the US territory in the Pacific.

The Saipan route has been suspended for more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, along with most of the international routes operated by local airlines.

Jeju Air has suspended most of its flights on international routes since early last year due to countries' entry restrictions.

International flights to five cities -- Tokyo, Osaka, Weihai, Harbin and Manila -- are available for business travel and Koreans residing in the cities. (Yonhap)