Air Seoul Inc South Korea said on May 17 that it will launch a new route to Da Nang this week.

This move is expected to heat up competition among South Korean carriers over a popular tourist destination, Yonhap News Agency reports.

The debut flight to Viet Nam is set to depart at 10:20pm (local time) on Friday, with the 195-seat A321-200 jet to be employed on the route.

Currently, six other South Korean carriers operate flights to Da Nang, which lures close to 500,000 South Korean holiday makers annually.

Air Seoul is a subsidiary of Asiana Airlines. The airline is based at Incheon International Airport in Seoul, from which it operates flights to international destinations.

Air Seoul currently operates six A321 chartered planes, two of which are 220-seat capacity, as well as four 195-seat aircraft. With the planes, the low-cost carrier offers services on routes to 16 cities in five countries and territories: Japan, Cambodia, Malaysia, Hong Kong and the US territory of Guam.

The budget carrier plans to add a seventh A321 plane to its fleet in the second half of this year. — VNS