MANILA, 15 July 2024: The Philippines Department of Transport has signed an agreement with its counterparts in Korea to expand international air services between the two countries.
The two-day consultation talks between the Philippine and Korean delegations resulted in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to improve air services by updating the capacity entitlements.
For seven years since the last MOU was signed in 2017, the designated airlines of the Philippines and Korea can operate up to 20,000 weekly seats each from Manila to points in Korea and vice versa.
The MoU liberalises the use of third and fourth freedom traffic, raising the total airline capacity to 30,000 seats weekly on the main roundtrip route of Manila – Incheon. It also ensures there are no seat limits on flights from Manila to all other cities in Korea. Flights from other cities outside Manila to all points in Korea will remain open and without seat limits under the new MOU.
The Manila – Incheon (ICN) route is served by six airlines that offer daily and multiple daily frequencies. They are Philippines AirAsia (daily), Philippine Airlines (two to three daily), Asiana Airlines (two daily), Korean Air (three daily), Jeju Air (daily), and Cebu Pacific (two daily). The average roundtrip fare on the route from January to July is USD170.
Korea has been the top source market for the Philippines since before the Covid-19 pandemic, with incoming Korean tourists already at 682,362 for the months of January to May 2024, the Philippines Department of Tourism reported recently. The increase in seat capacity from 20,000 to 30,000 seats a week between Manila and Seoul will encourage airlines to increase flights.
