Korean Air is launching a direct flight between Incheon, South Korea and Oslo, Norway, starting May 25. The Incheon-Oslo flight will be available every Saturday from May 25 to June 21. The flight bound for Oslo will depart from Incheon at 10 a.m. and arrive at Oslo at 5:30 p.m. The total flight time is 13 hours from Incheon to Oslo and 11 hours and 30 minutes from Oslo to Incheon. 

Norway Tourism said the launch of the charter flight is a result of the rising number of Korean tourists to Norway. The number of Koreans staying overnight in Oslo increased 37 percent between 2011 and 2012. There were 62,000 overnight stays in 2012 by Koreans.

“It truly is a significant symbolic event to launch the charter flight bound for the Norwegian capital, Oslo, with Korean Air, one of Korean national flag airlines,” said Norwegian Ambassador Torbjorn Holthe at a press conference Tuesday.

(wylee@heraldcorp.com)