Air Busan to open Incheon-Chengdu route in January

SEOUL, Nov. 25 (Yonhap) -- Air Busan Co., a budget carrier unit of Asiana Airlines Inc., said Monday it will open an Incheon-Chengdu route in January in its route diversification strategy. Air Busan plans to start operating three flights a week on the route to Chengdu, the capital of China's southwestern province of Sichuan, on Jan. 15, the company said in a statement. A 195-seat A321-200 jet will be put into operation 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. kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr (END)