Air Busan cabin crew to wear goggles on domestic flights

An Air Busan staff member cleans an airport check-in counter. (Air Busan)

Low-cost carrier Air Busan will make goggles mandatory for all cabin crew from Thursday, including those on domestic flights, as South Korea struggles to rein in coronavirus outbreaks.

Before, only those on international flights had to wear safety glasses. The company said the measure would “relieve the worries of passengers.”

Korea announced over 1,000 new cases Thursday, with over 400 of those cases in Seoul.

The new move will also see ground staff wear goggles and masks and be subject to temperature checks at airports in regions where Level 2.5 social distancing rules are in place. Currently Level 2.5 rules -- the second-strictest in the country’s five-tier system -- apply at the Incheon, Gimpo and Gimhae airports.

Staff at the airline’s headquarters in Busan will be subject to the same measures, Air Busan said.

In September Air Busan resumed its flights from Busan to Qingdao, China, nearly eight months after the route was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement, CEO Han Tae-geun said the airline will “strengthen preventative measures” to provide safe service for passengers.

By Yim Hyun-su (hyunsu@heraldcorp.com)