Korean Air Expands Northeast Asia Air Routes... Increasing China and Japan Flights

Qingdao Route Resumes After 4 Years

Korean Air is expanding its routes to China and Japan in response to the recovery of demand on Northeast Asia routes.

On the 5th, Korean Air announced that it will resume daily flights on the Busan~China Qingdao route starting December 1. This marks the resumption of flights after about four years since the COVID-19 situation. From November 22, the Incheon~China Wudanzhang route will also resume operations five times a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday).

There are also routes with increased frequency. The Incheon~China Zhengzhou route has been operating daily since last month on the 12th, increasing to seven times a week. The Incheon~China Xiamen route, currently operating four times a week, will increase to daily flights starting October 1. The Incheon~Taiwan Taichung route will operate four times a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday) from September 10 to October 26, and plans to increase to daily flights from October 27.

Supply on Japan routes, expected to see concentrated tourists in the fall and winter seasons, will also be increased. The Incheon~Nagasaki route, which was suspended since 2013, will operate four times a week (Monday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday) during the winter period starting October 27. The Incheon~Osaka route, currently operating three times daily, will temporarily increase to four times daily until next month on the 26th.

Korean Air plans to proactively respond to the increasing demand by reorganizing the Northeast Asia routes that were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of December, Korean Air expects the number of flights on its Greater China routes, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macao, to recover to about 95% compared to the same month in 2019. For Japan routes, the recovery rate is expected to reach 106%, surpassing pre-COVID-19 levels.