The Hallyu wave continues to sweep across the globe – EVA Air launches flights from Kaohsiung to Seoul

▲ EVA Air unveils its new Kaohsiung–Seoul route, with Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony. (Photo provided by the airline)

Travel Center / Taipei Reporting

EVA Air’s new Kaohsiung–Seoul route officially launched today (the 10th)! The route operates five flights per week on the MD90 aircraft, with 12 business class and 140 economy class seats. Outbound flight BR172 departs from Kaohsiung International Airport at 16:20 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays, arriving in Seoul at 20:10 local time. The return flight, BR171, departs Seoul at 21:10 local time on the same day and arrives back in Kaohsiung at 23:10 Taipei time, with a one-way flight duration of approximately 2 hours and 50 minutes.

EVA Air noted that the popularity of Korean pop culture has driven a surge in travel to Korea among Taiwanese, making South Korea one of the most favored travel destinations in recent years. The number of mutual visits between Taiwan and Korea has been steadily increasing, reaching 790,000 in 2012 — an approximate 20% increase over 2011, marking the highest level in the past decade. Particularly noteworthy is the rapid growth in the number of Korean visitors to Taiwan, which saw a roughly 12.6% year-on-year increase from January to April this year. With the launch of the Kaohsiung–Seoul route, not only will it provide greater convenience for southern Taiwan residents to travel to Korea, but it will also directly boost the development of the tourism market in southern Taiwan.

To celebrate the launch of the Kaohsiung–Seoul route, EVA Air has introduced a variety of promotional offers.During the summer vacation period, the family series “When We’re All Kids Together” offers 3-day, 2-night free-and-easy packages starting from just NT$11,817 (before tax).Additionally, customers receive a complimentary ticket to the Trickeye 3D Art Museum. For group tours, EVA Airhas partnered with travel agencies such as Wufu, KOA Travel, Sanfu, Southeast, Jingcheng, Lion Travel, Xihong, and Jie Li to offer various 4-day, 5-night and 5-day, 6-night itineraries, with the lowest prices also starting from just NT$11,900 (before tax).Groups traveling on the first two inaugural flights will also receive a limited-edition crystal diamond pen.

In recent years, the tourism industry in southern Taiwan has flourished, and the EVA Group’s airlines — EVA Air and UNI Air — have been stepping up their presence in the region. In addition to today’s launch of the five-times-weekly Kaohsiung–Seoul route, on cross-strait routes the airline has also opened regular Kaohsiung–Jinan flights and chartered Kaohsiung–Zhangjiajie services this year, bringing the total number of Mainland China destinations served from Kaohsiung to 11. This makes EVA Air the carrier with the most frequent and extensive service between Kaohsiung and Mainland China destinations.