Air Busan to open Busan-Haikou route this month

Air Busan Co., a budget carrier unit of Asiana Airlines Inc., said Wednesday it will open a Busan-Haikou route later this month in its route diversification strategy.

Air Busan plans to start operating two flights a week on the route to Haikou, the capital of China's southernmost island province of Hainan, on Nov. 27, the company said in a statement.

A 195-seat A321 jet will be put on the route, it said.

Air Busan currently serves six domestic and 32 international routes. The carrier also operates a fleet of 26 chartered planes, which are composed of 18 A321-200s and eight A320-200s. It mainly serves routes to Guam, Japan, China and Southeast Asian countries.

Asiana Airlines owns a 44 percent stake in Air Busan, with the Busan metropolitan city government controlling 5.02 percent and others the remainder.