[Aju News DB]
Korean Air was selected Friday as South Korea's only airline company to fly directly to Iran, which will re-open a suspended air flight route between the two countries.
The transportation ministry said the regular flight service right went to Korean Air, which has competed with its domestic rival Asiana to get the right as Iran is emerging as a new export market where passenger and cargo demand is expected to surge.
There is no direct passenger flight between South Korea and Iran. Iran Air used to fly Tehran-Incheon via Beijing from 2002 to 2007, but the service stopped because of US sanctions against Iran.
South Korean firms believe the lifting of international sanctions on Iran will open up new business opportunities.
Both airlines have suggested that they would operate four weekly passenger and cargo flights from Incheon to Iran. Asiana has been desperate for an opportunity to branch out to the Middle East, where it operates no flights.
Korean Air now faces a bumpy ride due to growing competition from rivals in China and the Middle East as well as budget carriers. Last year, its net loss widened to 703 billion won (689 million US dollars) from the previous year's loss of 457.8 billion won.
아주경제 임장원 기자 =
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
