VIENTIANE, 28 February 2020: Lao Airlines will halt flights to South Korea 1 March following a spike in cancellations and an absence of future bookings.
According to a report in the Laotian Times, the airline said recent flights were “empty from Seoul to Vientiane while many South Koreans have stopped travelling overseas.”
On the plus side, Lao Airlines will add a new service from Vientiane to Danang in central Vietnam from 29 March using the 70-seat ATR72.
The flight will operate three times weekly (Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday) departing Vientiane at 1110 and arriving in Danang 1250. The return flight will depart at 1350 and arrive in Vientiane at 1535,
Vietnam’s Bamboo Airways has cancelled flights to Seoul from Cam Ranh and Danang in central Vietnam effective from 26 February to 28 March.
In South Korea, Air Busan is cutting service to cities in Asia. Destinations affected are Taipei; Danang, Vietnam; Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Hanoi, Vietnam; Vientiane, Vietnam; Cebu, Philippines; Boracay, Philippines; Siem Reap, Cambodia; Kota Kinabalu and Malaysia.
The airline has also cut services to Daegu, South Korea, where the coronavirus is rapidly spreading.
Air Seoul cuts flights to seven destinations outside of China, the airline announced, with cancellations to Guam, Danang, Vietnam; Hanoi, Vietnam; Nha Trang, Vietnam; Boracay, Philippines; Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia; and Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Asiana Airlines reduces flights from Seoul to Thailand and Vietnam and suspends flights to Daegu that has the highest reported cases of Covid-19 in South Korea.
South Korea’s Jin Air cuts services from Busan and Seoul to cities in Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Guam, Japan, Malaysia, and Taiwan.
Vietnam Airlines cuts services from Hanoi to Seoul, but other services out of Ho Chi Minh city remain intact.
Korean Air suspends all flights to Daegu from Jeju and Seoul. The national carrier has cut services to Taipei, Taiwan.
