Flights connecting Seoul’s Gimpo Airport and Beijing’s Capital International Airport will be launched by the end of this year at the earliest, Seoul’s Yonhap News Agency reported Monday, citing a government source.The source from the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said that the government is currently negotiating with South Korean and Chinese airlines to begin flight services between the two cities at the end of the year, according to Yonhap.At present, travelers can only fly to Beijing from Incheon International Airport, about 52 kilometers west of Seoul. Travel time can be reduced if the departure can be made at Gimpo airport, located in the southwestern tip of Seoul and much more accessible compared to Incheon airport.Last year, South Korea and China agreed in principle to establish flight services connecting the two cities, but little progress has been made as China claimed that no slots were available at the Beijing Capital International Airport.Starting regular flights from Gimpo is expected to require reducing the number of flights linking Incheon with Beijing,the government official was quoted as saying by Yonhap.Korean Air, South Korea’s largest flag carrier, currently operates 18 flights per week connecting Incheon and Bejing, and Asiana, the country’s second major airline, maintains 24 flights.