Under a new government rule, any new Korean airline that plans to operate overseas flights must run a minimum of 20,000 domestic flights over a period of two years, with no passenger fatalities from any accidents.

The Ministry of Construction and Transportation said Wednesday that it has introduced the new guideline, as a number of low-cost airliners are seeking permits for international flights.

The rule also requires airliners seeking to offer regular international flights to operate non-regular flights for one year without fatal accidents.

But airliners can offer inter-Korean flights if they operate domestic service for one year without accidents.

The ministry said that as international flights are more prone to accidents than domestic ones, it is necessary to screen airliners' safety.

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