South Korea's air traffic to earthquake-hit Japan has mostly recovered as of early Saturday after one day of disruption, the land ministry and air carriers
said.
   
Air travel between the two countries was partly suspended on
Friday after Narita and Haneda airports, the two main gateways to
Japan, were closed or partly suspended after an 8.9-magnitude
earthquake hit its northern coast. The most severe earthquake in
more than 100 years in Japan, which unleashed a seven-meter-high
tsunami, killed hundreds and left northeastern cities in chaos.

   As recovery work got under way, however, the two main airports
connecting to the capital of Tokyo resumed operations and Korea's
regular flights to the neighboring country had mostly returned to
normal, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said.

   Korean Air Lines Co. and Asiana Airlines Inc., the two Korean
air carriers, on Saturday will shuttle between Korea and the two
reopened Japanese airports 39 times as scheduled, according to the
companies.

   However, Asiana Airlines' respective once-a-day flights to
Sendai Airport and Ibaraki Airport remained grounded as Japan
funneled rescue and recovery work toward the most heavily hit city
of Sendai. The local ministry said the country's flights to other
countries along the Pacific Ocean, which the Japan-triggered
tsunami swept through overnight, will proceed as scheduled.

   "The ministry will try to prevent any disruption in air traffic
through constant cooperation with Japan's airport authorities and
proactively react to any emergency," it said. (Yonhap News)