A passenger jet of T'way Air / Courtesy of T'way Air

Korean air carriers are not anticipated to experience increased travel demand during the 2024 Paris Olympics, as the global sporting event garners less attention among the public here, according to company officials, Wednesday.

Officials say airlines are not expected to experience a significant increase in sales during the Olympic season, as more tourists choose to travel to destinations unrelated to Paris. The Games commence on July 26.

"The Olympics coincide with the peak of the summer travel season, but customers are showing a preference for vacations to other regions due to the declining popularity of the event," an official at a major airline said.

T'way Air, a Seoul-based low-cost carrier (LCC), was scheduled to launch its first route from Incheon to Paris sometime around June, but the plan hit a snag after the nation's land ministry launched an investigation into the airline for repeated flight delays and shoddy safety inspections.

The company said it remains unconfirmed whether it will start operating the route ahead of the Olympics.

"We are still conducting an internal review of the flight schedule to Paris," an official at the airline said.

T'way Air's possible opening of a Paris route was expected to increase overall flight demand to the city around the peak travel season, as it will offer cheaper tickets, compared to flag carriers. T'way Air is the only LCC that won a license to operate the route. Presently, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines are the only Korean airlines operating flights to Paris.

But given the ongoing investigation, the airline is unlikely to start selling tickets to Paris, as the Olympics are only about three weeks away.

Other officials from local airlines also echoed a similar line, saying that demand for flights to Paris remains solid, but this is not driven by the Olympics.

"The Olympics coincide with the peak travel season, so there are indications of increased demand for flights to Paris and other European cities in late July. However, it's hard to say this is solely due to the Olympics," another official at an airline here said.

"After the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for travel to Europe has soared," the official said. "Increasing flight reservations to Europe and Paris in July and August came against a similar backdrop. The trend is expected to remain in place for the time being, but we cannot find any signs that the Olympics increased demand for flights to Paris."