Korea halts flights to Italy for first time in 29 years

Amid the continued spike in COVID-19 cases in South Korea and Italy, Korean air carriers said Tuesday that they would temporarily halt service to Italian cities. 

According to the full-service carrier Korean Air, it has canceled all flights on its Incheon-Rome route from March 5 to April 25. This is the first time all flights on that route have been canceled, since its launch in 1991. 

Another full-service carrier, Asiana Airlines, decided to halt its Incheon-Rome flights March 8-28. The air carrier has operated the route since 2015. 

The airline cited a sharp drop in passengers using the route, as well as the rapid spread of the new coronavirus in both countries. 

Korean Air and Asiana Airlines said they will also suspend their Incheon-Milan routes. Korean Air will suspend Milan flights until April 25 and Asiana until April 15. 

Both carriers said these time frames could be extended, depending on the situation. 

By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)