Koreaphiles rejoice! Korean Air will return to Brisbane for the first time since it paused flights to Queensland due to the pandemic.
Commencing April 2023, Korean Air will operate five-times weekly flights between Seoul and Brisbane, which equates to 89,000 seats per year.
Brisbane Airport Corporation (BNE) executive general manager of aviation Ryan Both said the announcement was a boost for trade, tourism and “great news for Queensland” generally.
“We have one of Australia’s largest Korean communities who will now have a direct connection with families. And South Korean tourists and students love coming to Queensland,” he said.
“This year will mark 30 years since Korean Air first started flying to Brisbane.
“Flights were of course halted due to the pandemic. It will be great to have them back permanently.
BNE expects the new service between the Korean and Queensland capitals to generate more than $120 million for the local economy.
More capacity to East Asia
Meanwhile, BNE announced that Taiwanese carrier EVA Air is now flying four times per week between Brisbane and Taipei, with more flights to come. Utilising its B787-10 aircraft, EVA Air’s service is predicted to boost overnight visitor expenditure in Queensland by over $100 million and support 1,030 extra jobs per year.
In addition to this, BNE said Philippine Airlines had upped flights between Brisbane and Manila to five times per week, using its A321 NEO aircraft on the route.
$200 million “war chest” turns one
Signed under Queensland’s Attracting Aviation Investment Fund (AAIF), the announcements were made on the first anniversary of the fund on Saturday.
The $200 million AAIF is a joint public and private initiative between the Queensland Government and the state’s four international gateways: Brisbane Airport, Gold Coast Airport, Sunshine Coast Airport, and Cairns Airport.
So far, it has helped secure more than 1.1 million inbound seats worth almost $1 billion in overnight visitor expenditure.
Other flights delivered under the agreement via BNE are:
- United Airlines – San Francisco
- Air Canada – Vancouver
- Qatar Airways – Doha
- Emirates – Dubai
- Qantas – Tokyo
- China Airlines – Taipei
- Jetstar – Auckland (from 27 March)
According to Ryan Both, the airport had gone from just two per cent capacity one year ago to more than 60% of pre-Covid flights in December and January.
Queensland Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said that while “the $200 million international aviation war chest is getting results … there’s more work to do on rebuilding airline capacity and Queensland’s $6 billion international tourism industry”.
BNE recorded more than three million travellers during December 2022 and January 2023, more than double the pax during the previous holiday period.
