Daegu International Airport [Provided by Daegu International Airport]

International routes departing from Daegu International Airport during this Lunar New Year holiday are showing high popularity, with passenger flights to Japan nearing full occupancy rates.

Conversely, routes to Southeast Asia have reservation rates as low as 70% in some cases, leading airlines to consider reducing flights to these destinations.

According to T'way Air and others on the 14th, the routes showing the highest demand during the Lunar New Year holiday (14th-18th) are passenger flights to Japan.

For flights to Japan, including Osaka, Tokyo (Narita), and Sapporo, as of the 14th to 16th, all seats on passenger flights are 100% booked, based on a capacity of 189 seats for the Boeing 727-800 aircraft.

The reservation rate for remaining flights on the 17th and 18th is also over 95%, nearly full.

On the other hand, reservation rates for passenger flights to Southeast Asian destinations such as Nha Trang and Da Nang (Vietnam), and Bangkok (Thailand) averaged between 80% and 90%.

Specifically, some passenger flights operating towards the end of the Lunar New Year holiday saw reservation rates drop to the 70% range.

Fueled by this popularity, flights to Japan accounted for more than half of the 27 temporary international charter flights scheduled to depart from Daegu Airport during this holiday period.

By route, Narita (Japan) had 10 flights, Sapporo (Japan) had 6 flights, Da Nang (Vietnam) had 2 flights, and Hanoi (Vietnam) had 2 flights, in that order of frequency.

The airline industry is currently showing some moves to reduce services to Southeast Asia.

Vietjet Air did not operate the Nha Trang (Vietnam) route during the summer season last year. This year, they have extended this period by two months compared to last year, not operating these flights from late March to late October.

The airline industry has offered various analyses for the declining popularity of Southeast Asian routes.

An airline industry official, identified as Mr. A, stated, "We can definitely feel the drop in demand after reports linking local criminal organizations in Southeast Asia with Koreans emerged last year. Cases of reducing or canceling planned charter flights to Southeast Asia are continuing this year."

He added, "It appears that the demand for these Southeast Asian routes has shifted to Japanese routes."

Another official, Mr. B, commented, "After having traveled to Southeast Asia so frequently over the past 10 years, there's a sense that its appeal as a tourist destination has diminished for travelers. Furthermore, since Southeast Asian routes from Gimhae International Airport are relatively cheaper, they are losing in terms of price competitiveness."