South Korean low-cost carriers are gearing up for long-haul route competition, following the European Commission’s recent conditional approval of the merger between Korean Air Lines Co. and Asiana Airlines Inc.

T’way Air Co. announced Wednesday that it will introduce a regular route from Incheon to Zagreb, Croatia, in May, becoming the first to do so among Korean budget carriers.

The airline opened ticket sales for the new route on Thursday.

According to T’way Air, the Incheon to Zagreb route will operate three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday) from May 16, utilizing an A330-300 aircraft with 347 seats.

The departure flight includes a stopover in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, lasting about an hour, necessitated by the inability to traverse Russian airspace due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

Passengers will remain on board during the refueling, and the total flight time to Zagreb is estimated to be around 15 hours. The return leg is a non-stop flight, taking about 11 hours.

T’way Air’s decision to operate long-haul European routes with a refueling stopover is related to the Korean Air and Asiana Airlines merger.

The European Commission, which conditionally approved the merger on February 13, emphasized that Korean Air cannot conclude the merger until T’way Air establishes a stable presence in operating its European routes, specifically the four overlapping routes to Paris, Frankfurt, Rome, and Barcelona.

The launch of the Zagreb route is expected to serve as a litmus test for T’way Air’s long-haul capabilities before it commences operations on the four European routes.

T’way Air plans to introduce seven aircraft, including large-sized planes, this year, facilitating the expansion of its new long-haul routes.

Meanwhile, Air Premia has announced plans to commence operations on the San Francisco route from May 17, following the launch of routes to Los Angeles and New York.

The airline revealed a special promotion on the same day, offering round-trip fares from Incheon to San Francisco, including fuel surcharges and airport facility usage fees, starting from 897,400 won ($675) for economy class and 1.5 million won for premium economy.

By Cho Yun-hee and Minu Kim

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