Chinese airlines have begun normalizing their flights to South Korea, according to state-run newspapers on Monday, as the country appears to near a formal end to its MERS outbreak.
  

Since South Korea reported its first case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome on May 20, Chinese airlines have cut flights to Seoul and other cities as travelers canceled trips. No new cases have been reported in South Korea since July 4.
  

According to a report by the Beijing-based Jinghua newspaper, budget carrier Spring Airlines has added three flights per week between the northeastern city of Harbin and South Korea's southern island of Jeju.
  

Spring Airlines also plans to double the number of flights to four per week between the northern city of Tianjin and Jeju starting this week, the report said.
  

Other carriers, including Air China, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines, also plan to normalize their flights to South Korea, according to Chinese media reports.
  

The MERS outbreak in South Korea took a heavy toll on the country's tourism industry with more than 120,000 foreigners, mostly Chinese, canceling planned trips to South Korea. (Yonhap)