A Total of 76 Exclusive International Routes Operated
Korean Air Leads with 34 Routes
Low-Cost Carriers Expand Unique Destinations
South Korean airlines are steadily increasing the number of international routes they operate exclusively, without overlap with other domestic carriers.
According to the industry on May 25, South Korean airlines currently operate a total of 76 exclusive international routes that do not overlap with those of other domestic airlines. This is an increase of 11 routes compared to 65 routes as of early May last year.
On April 24, Korean Air officials are washing the aircraft fuselage with the new CI applied at the Korean Air aircraft maintenance hangar in Jung-gu, Incheon. 2025.4.24. Photo by Kang Jinhyung
Korean Air operates the largest number of exclusive routes, with 34 in total, an increase of 3 over the past year. Recently added exclusive routes include Incheon-Kobe, which launched last month, Incheon-Nagasaki, which resumed operations in October last year, and Incheon-Lisbon, which began service in September last year.
Asiana Airlines operates exclusively on 7 routes to Japan and China. The number of exclusive routes increased by one over the past year with the launch of service to Asahikawa in December last year. During this year's winter schedule, the airline also plans to operate exclusively on the Incheon-Melbourne (Australia) route.
Jeju Air operates 13 exclusive routes, including Incheon to Shizuoka, Hiroshima, Matsuyama, and Oita in Japan, Batam in Indonesia, and Busan-Singapore. Among these, 7 routes, such as Jeju-Xi'an, are the only ones operated by any airline, with no foreign carriers serving them.
Jeju Air increased its number of exclusive routes by two over the past year, launching Incheon-Batam in October last year and Jeju-Xi'an on the 20th of this month. The airline also plans to launch an exclusive Incheon-Hakodate route on June 5.
Jin Air launched a route between Incheon and Ishigakijima, the southernmost island of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, on April 3. Previously, in May last year, Jin Air began operating an exclusive route to nearby Miyakojima, making it the only airline to serve all three major islands of Okinawa Prefecture.
Air Busan operates seven exclusive routes, all departing from Busan. Destinations include Matsuyama, Xi'an, and Bali, with Air Busan being the only global airline serving these routes. The airline added the Busan-Bali route as an exclusive service in October last year.
T'way Air operates six exclusive routes, including the Incheon-Zagreb (Croatia) route launched in May last year (scheduled to resume on June 10), Incheon-Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), Jeju-Osaka, and Daegu-Ulaanbaatar. Among low-cost carriers, T'way Air is the only one to operate routes from Incheon to Paris and Frankfurt.
Eastar Jet currently operates five exclusive routes. These include Incheon-Tokushima, launched in December last year, as well as Busan-Kumamoto and Chiang Mai. Of these, four routes?excluding Cheongju-Zhangjiajie?are operated solely by Eastar Jet. The airline will also begin service on the Busan-Phu Quoc route, currently served only by one foreign airline (VietJet of Vietnam), starting July 26.
Air Seoul increased the frequency of its exclusive Incheon-Yonago route, launched in October 2016, from three to five times per week as of March this year. The airline stated that it is continuously gathering feedback from customers and travel agencies, as well as conducting on-site feasibility studies abroad, in order to identify and develop additional exclusive routes.
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