North Korean air routes open timely possibilities

Ahn Mi-Young

A new air services agreement between North and South Korea by year's end

		Rerouting over Korea airspace from Seoul
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Routing			Destination			Shortened Distance
							& Time (one way)
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US Destinations :

   via Anchorage	NY.LLLLLA, Toronto		354 kms (20 mins)
                        Dillas, Portland		

   via Los Angeles	LA, ST. Paul, Altanta		354 kms (23 mins)
			Detroit and Dallas

   via New York		New York,			507 kms (34 mins)	
			Washington

   Direct		San Francisco			191 kms (13 mins)
   via Portland		Seattle, Portland		419 kms (28 mins)
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Canadian
Destinations :

   Direct		Vancouver, Toronto		302 kms (47 mins)
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Russian
Destinations :

   Direct		Khabarovsk,			697 kms (47 mins)
			Vladivostok

WITH NORTH Korea tentatively agreeing to open new routes over Pyongyang, South Korean airlines are actively assessing the new route's potential benefits. North Korea will reportedly charge a US$120 per flight passage fee over its space which is expected to generate $2.2 million a year from airlines flying to or from Seoul annually. Add that to additional income which could be generated from flights to and from Japan and China, and you have a significant source of income for the cash-strapped nation. Conversely, North Korea's opened air space will benefit all airlines by offering shorter routes and cutting costs by $125m or more annually, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has estimated. If an inter-Korea route opens, it will also save flight time for two South Korean airlines, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, by 13 to 34 minutes on Seoul-North America routes. It will also shorten flight times on Seoul-Khabarovsk and Seoul-Vladivostok routes by up to 47 minutes. "We will gain a long-term cost advantage from shorter routes through North Korean airspace," Asiana Airlines manager, Lim Jae-chul, said. Further economic benefits could be derived from a diffusion of political differences, and a subsequent enhancement of trade prospects, thought to be a possible spin off from this type of cooperation. "If the air traffic control agreement between South and North Korea is concluded, it will greatly contribute to easing tension between the two countries," South Korean Ministry of Construction & Transportation director, Kim Kwang-jae told the Korean Herald. Kim was one of the principle negotiators at a four-day meeting in Bangkok earlier this month which discussed air routes over North Korea. South Korea is very interested in opening a route that links Khabarovsk, North Korea and Seoul, which Kim called Òthe most economical and efficient air routeÓ at the meeting that featured aviation officials from both Koreas, Japan, China and ICAO. "But the real beneficiary of the proposed air space opening would be the US because American airplanes flying the Chicago-Hong Kong route could save more one hour," he said, adding that about 174 international flights a week would directly benefit. A key issue still to be ironed out is the establishment of a direct communication network between control centres in South Korea's southern city of Taegu and Pyongyang, which is mandatory in the aircraft safety provision, according to an official at the Ministry of Construction and Transportation. Before opening any route including North Korea, it is a prerequisite for two Koreas to agree on a technical method for fostering joint air traffic control. Nevertheless, Kim said he is optimistic an air services agreement can be concluded within this year.