The Transport ministries of Japan and South Korea agreed Friday to greatly increase the passenger capacity of the crowded air routes linking the two countries in preparation for the 2002 World Cup soccer championship, which they will jointly host, Japanese officials in Tokyo said.
Under Friday's accord, reached during negotiations in Seoul, flights between Seoul and Narita airport will be nearly doubled to 20 per day from the current 11.
The load factor, or the ratio of passengers to seat capacity, is currently an extremely high 91.3 percent for the lucrative route. The latest agreement is expected to push the figure down to 69 percent in 2002, according to the officials.