Korean Air to sue for rights to Taiwan flights

Airline Industry Information, Nov 9, 2004

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2004 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

Korean Air has said that it will sue the Korean government over the distribution of the newly reopened passenger and cargo routes to Taiwan between the country's two major airlines.

When services between Korea and Taiwan were suspended in 1992 Korean Air ran 14 passenger and two cargo flights on the route, with Asiana Airlines running only four cargo routes. Taiwan has offered the new routes now that relations between the two countries have thawed but the government has indicated that it will give both airlines nine passenger flights and one cargo flight each.

The Korean Ministry of Construction and Transportation said that it was under no obligation to give Korean Air the same amount of flights that it had in 1992 because the new deal with Taiwan was a fresh civil agreement. Korean Air argues that Taiwan has called the deal a resumption of services, meaning that the flights as they were in 1992 should restart. Asiana Airlines meanwhile said that it had hoped to take more flights than Korean Air, reports The Chosun Ilbo.

((Comments on this story may be sent to aii.feedback@m2.com))