Hualien adds Seoul/Incheon as 2nd int'l direct flight destination

Taipei, Aug. 25 (CNA) Hualien County will see the launch of its second international flight in November, with two weekly round-trip flights connecting Seoul/Incheon in South Korea and the eastern county, Yu Ming-hsun (余明勲), head of the Hualien Tourism Department, said Monday.

The two weekly round-trip flights will be operated by South Korean low-cost carrier Aero K Airlines Co. from Nov. 13, Yu told reporters in Hualien.

The flights, scheduled on Thursdays and Sundays, were made possible after the county government and Aero K signed a memorandum of understanding in mid-May, Yu said.

Seoul/Incheon will become the second international destination Hualien has direct scheduled flights with, following Hong Kong, where Hong Kong Express Airways began four weekly scheduled round-trip services in December 2024, Yu said.

Yu said Taiwan has seen visitors from South Korea surpass those from Japan, while people in Hualien are very interested in visiting South Korea, as several tour operators have begun advertising tour packages on social media platforms in Taiwan.

In a bid to attract visitors to Hualien and neighboring Taitung, the Tourism Administration has been subsidizing chartered flights from overseas, it said in a statement on Aug. 11.

The number of flights that met the requirements to receive subsidies has grown from four in 2023 to 16 in 2024 and 43 during the first seven months of this year, according to the statement.

The 43 flights brought in more than 5,600 foreign visitors from Hong Kong, Vietnam and Thailand and were estimated to contribute NT$60 million (US$1.96 million) to the local economy in the two counties in eastern Taiwan, the Tourism Administration said.