700 S. Koreans in Wuhan to Be Brought Home
Asiana Airlines announced on Jan. 29 that it would temporarily stop flights between Incheon and Guilin and between Incheon and Haikou from Feb. 1 and temporarily stop flights between Incheon and Changsha from Feb. 3 due to the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.
Earlier, on Jan. 23, Korean Air stopped flights between Incheon and Wuhan after the Chinese government shut down the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport. Previously, the service was available four times a week. Korean Air is considering further reducing its flights to and from China. In addition, South Korean low-cost carriers decided to exempt ticket cancellation fees for those who have tickets to Hong Kong and Macau.
In the meantime, the South Korean government is planning to send four chartered planes to Wuhan on Jan. 30 and 31 to bring approximately 700 South Koreans from the capital of Hubei province. About 20 government officials will board the planes with Hanjin Group chairman Cho Won-tae and about 30 Korean Air flight attendants to check the health conditions of the passengers. The planes are scheduled to depart from Incheon and return to Gimpo on Jan. 30 and depart from and return to Gimpo on Jan. 31.