In order to support the aviation industry and boost consumption, the Korean government decided to launch a new type of traveling called "international travel without landing" from next month. Passengers will sit on the plane for a certain period of time, the aircraft will fly over the airspace of another country without landing and return to Korea.
Presiding over the meeting on the government's response to the economy on November 19, South Korea's Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki announced that "The program without entry or departure from another country would be temporarily operated for 12 months with the purpose of supporting the airline, tourism and duty-free industries which have been facing a financial crisis and employment uncertainty because of the COVID-19 pandemic."
Passengers traveling on the plane will be eligible for duty-free shopping like regular tourists, which means each person can buy duty-free goods under $600, buy up to 1 liter of wine, 200 cigarettes, and perfume. However, passengers will have to book a ticket in advance, when getting on or off the plane must go through the private passageway, and only use the provided transport vehicle.
The Deputy Prime Minister suggested 6 domestic airlines including Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air, Jin Air, T'way Air, and Air Busan to discuss closely with relevant departments to soon launch this new service from next month.
