Korean Air plans to resume flights between Seoul and Macau in 2009, a local aeronautical source said.

According to the source, Korean Air is planning three weekly flights on Boeing 737s from Incheon International Airport, resuming a route that was suspended in 1998 because of the Asian economic crisis.

Re-introducing flights to Macau is part of Korean Air's expansion plans for 2009, with an increase in flights to Thailand, the Philippines, mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong SAR.

Kong Dong, chairman of Air China, which controls a majority of Air Macau, said last week that Air Macau should also look at the South Korean market.

In Kong Dong's opinion, the South Korean and Japanese markets can help Air Macau out of its current financial crisis.

Early this year the Macau and South Korea aviation authorities agreed to increase scheduled flights by Macau's airlines to South Korean cities.

Currently, flights between Macau and South Korea include a daily scheduled flight by Air Macau between Macau and Seoul and regular charter flights by Viva Macau between Macau and Pusan and Muan International Airport in Gwangju.

In the first eight months of this year, Macau received 212,549 tourists from South Korea, an increase of 50 percent versus the same period in 2007.