New Seoul flights amid Gangnam Style craze

New regular British Airways (BA) flights between London Heathrow and Seoul are all set to take to the skies.

The first service takes off from Heathrow on Sunday December 2 at a time when interest in Korean popular culture has reached new heights thanks to the Gangnam Style YouTube sensation.

Korean rapper Psy's video has clocked up the highest number of views for any video ever on the site - an astonishing 830 million - surely to the delight of BA as it hopes for strong take-up of its new service.

The airline's chief executive Keith Williams admitted the company "couldn't have foreseen the enormous response to the current Gangnam Style phenomenon when we announced the route".

But he acknowledged the YouTube sensation could have a positive effect as it has helped to "put Seoul on the map" as an "exciting and fun destination".

BA has been able to launch the route by using slots at the airport acquired by its parent company IAG after it bought out BMI.

The airline's move is part of a wider strategy to increase its services into Asia, with a four-class Boeing 777 heading to the Korean capital six times a week.