South Korean low-cost carrier T'way Air Co. will begin serving Kansai International Airport in Osaka Prefecture in late March, with flights to Seoul and to Daegu in southeast South Korea.
The carrier will launch its Kansai-Seoul route on March 29 with seven flights a week, and the Kansai-Daegu service the following day with five flights per week. It will be the first time in about 15 years for any airline to provide direct service between Kansai International and Daegu.
T'way Air, established in August 2010, currently serves Sapporo, Okinawa and three destinations in Kyushu — Fukuoka, Saga and Oita.
Separately, New Kansai International Airport Co. said Chinese budget carrier Spring Airlines Co. will launch routes Saturday linking Kansai with Qingdao in Shandong province, eastern China, and Lanzhou in northwestern China's Gansu province, the latter via Shanghai.
Spring Airlines, which already links Kansai International with four other Chinese cities, will be the first airline to fly the Kansai-Lanzhou route.