South Korea's Korean Air is to cut some flights - including to Melbourne, Australia - and add others from 31 March through 26 October 2013 to better suit global demand.

Flights from Seoul/Incheon to Melbourne, Hakodate, Nagasaki and Gatwick (London) will be suspended and flight frequencies on the Seoul/Incheon - Jakarta and Seoul/Incheon - Ho Chi Min City routes will be reduced from 10 times a week to seven times a week, and from seven times a week to four times a week respectively.

The carrier will strengthen its routes to the Americas and provide customers with widened flight options. The current five times a week flights from Seoul/Incheon to Seattle, Dallas and Toronto will be increased to seven times a week (daily) and the three times weekly flights from Seoul/Incheon to Las Vegas will be increased to four times a week. In total, the frequency of Korean Air’s flights to the Americas will rise to 115 flights a week.

There also will be significant changes in Korean Air’s flights to Japan. The airline expects an increase in demand on the Narita route due to the Open Skies agreement and it will increase frequency on its Seoul/Incheon - Tokyo/Narita route from 28 times a week to 35 times a week, operating five flights every day. In addition, the previous daily flights on the Seoul/Incheon - Narita - LA route will be put on the Seoul/Incheon - Narita - Honolulu route instead. Frequency on the Busan - Narita route will also increase from seven times a week to 14 times a week, operating two flights daily.

Flights to other destinations in Japan are also being increased. The Seoul/Incheon - Komatsu route will increase from four times a week to five times a week and the Seoul/Incheon - Okayama route will change from seven times a week to nine times a week.

Korean Air will also strengthen its reach into the Chinese market by increasing frequency on the Cheongju - Hangzhou route (from once a week to four times a week) and opening a new four times weekly route between Busan and Nanjing.

Aircargo Asia Pacific