Originally Posted by
hkskyline
AC added Seoul on its HKG flights to prevent its own crew from being detained in HK. They had a case of that earlier so they do a crew change in ICN now who flies ICN-HKG-ICN only.
Yes the ICN stopover is a tried-and-tested method for avoiding quarantine and Covid tests. The crew return immediately to Seoul without exiting the aircraft.
Many airlines flying to China have been using this method since 2020. Interestingly, LH and its subsidiaries have elected not to do this and are instead complying with Chinese quarantine rules for crew.