Korean Air, Asiana halt Phuket route

Korean Air, Asiana halt Phuket route

SEOUL: Korean Air Lines Co. and Asiana Airlines Inc. will halt
flights to the Thai resort island of Phuket for a month after
tidal waves lashed the country's southwest coast, killing more
than 1,000 people and destroying hotels.

Korean Air, the country's largest carrier, will halt all six
weekly flights to Phuket starting Thursday, spokesman Hong Seogki
said today. Asiana will halt its twice-weekly service to Phuket
starting tomorrow, spokesman Kim Hyung Jin said. The Seoul-based
airlines will both continue services to Bangkok.

"Because of the uncertainty right now over there, we will
suspend flights," Hong said.

In the first 11 months of the year, 681,265 South Koreans
visited Thailand, 34 percent more than a year earlier, according
to the Korea National Tourism Organization. That's about 8
percent of South Koreans traveling abroad in the period.
--Bloomberg