Month-old South Korean airline Fly Gangwon launches flights to Taiwan

歷時一個月韓國江原航空直飛台灣首航

Daily flights link Yangyang with Taoyuan, with Taichung and Kaohsiung following early next year

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Only one month after its maiden flight, South Korean budget carrier Fly Gangwon has chosen Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport as its first overseas destination, reports said Thursday (December 26).

The young airline flies out of Yangyang, a town on South Korea’s northeast coast in the province of Gangwon, from which it has taken its name. While the town might not be well known overseas, the province includes the country’s third-tallest peak, Mount Seorak.

The first daily flight from Yangyang landed at Taoyuan Thursday noon, the Central News Agency reported. Airline officials told the media they were hoping to boost bilateral tourism and to attract more Taiwanese travelers to visit the lesser-known regions of South Korea.

The Boeing 737-800 airplane which arrived at Taoyuan took 161 passengers to South Korea, according to CNA.

Taoyuan will not be the carrier’s only Taiwanese destination for long, as it plans to launch flights to Taichung on January 29 and to Kaohsiung on March 19.

After Taiwan, Fly Gangwon would set its sights on Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok, Hong Kong and destinations in the Philippines, CNA reported. The company was founded three years ago, but its maiden flight, between Yangyang and the island of Jeju, only took place last month.