KOREAN Air is likely to cooperate with a leading Chinese carrier on a free sale and it also aims to boost its Chinese network by flying to more than 30 cities by 2010.
"We are talking with the carrier about details of the free sale, and the two sides are expected to sign a contract by the end of this year," said Yong Chul Kim, general manager of Korean Air's Shanghai office.
In the airline industry, a free sale enables two airlines to sell tickets for all seats on each other's aircraft and for all destinations they fly to.
"It's the first time Korean Air will implement a free sale pact with a Chinese airline, which will allow us to sell tickets on any route of the partner," Kim said.
But the name of the Chinese carrier could not be disclosed because the agreement has not been finalized yet.
Korean Air now has code-sharing pacts with China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines.
The carrier operates 28 routes linking 21 cities in China, including Shanghai, Beijing, Jinan, Kunming, Qingdao and Sanya. It plans to operate flights to more than 30 cities in China by 2010.
"China is developing its western area and we are also interested in opening more routes in the region, but it depends on negotiations between the two governments," Kim said.
The Chinese and the South Korean governments are due to negotiate flight rights next month.
Korean Air will boost weekly flights between Beijing and Seoul to 21 from 18 during the 2008 Olympic Games and add frequencies to Changsha, Jinan, Wuhan, Zhengzhong and Kunming from this summer.
It also plans to add a daily flight from Shanghai to Seoul in 2010 after Hongqiao International Airport is expanded. It now flies 39 times weekly between Shanghai and South Korea.
Last year, Korean Air's revenue hit US$832 million in China, or 12 percent of its total revenue.