South Korea and the Russian city of Vladivostok reached an open-skies accord in an effort to meet growing two-way demand for passengers and cargo, the government said Saturday.

Under the agreement, South Korean airlines will be allowed to fly an unlimited number of times per week to the city in the eastern edge of Russia, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said.

At present, only one South Korean and one Russian airline company offer regular flights. Korean Air Lines Co., the country’s largest flag carrier, runs five regular flights while Vladivostok Air has four flights. This will be expanded to include South Korea’s Asiana Airlines Inc., with Aeroflots and two other Russian airlines permitted to offer flight services in the 2012 summer season.

At the talks in Moscow, the two sides agreed on 26 flights each for South Korea and Russian flag carriers for this year’s summer months.

In addition, Seoul and Moscow agreed to permit so-called code share of seats that can help with ticketing.

The latest agreement is widely expected to pave the way for South Korean airlines to expand their flight services to the Russian port city the ministry said.

Open skies accords can be sealed country-to-country or between cities. South Korea has a comprehensive open skies accord with the United States, but has a “restricted” pact with China. (Yonhap News)