Home > Business > Industry

Korean airlines to increase flights to China

Published: 22 Sep. 2025, 19:03 Updated: 23 Sep. 2025, 18:24

Jin Air and Korean Air planes are parked at Incheon International Airport on July 13. [YONHAP]

Korean airlines are increasing flights to China as the demand from Chinese group tourists, or youke, is expected to surge once Korea’s visa waiver program for group travelers from China takes effect on Sept. 29.

Major carriers such as Korean Air and Asiana Airlines have already increased flights on key Chinese routes since the first half of this year, while low-cost carriers (LCCs) are focusing on routes from regional airports to smaller Chinese cities.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s air traffic information portal, more than 7.8 million passengers traveled between Korea and China in the first half of this year, up 24.4 percent from 6.17 million the previous year. That’s more than triple the growth rate for all international routes, which stands at 7.1 percent.

With China allowing visa-free entry for Koreans since November of last year and Seoul now set to grant reciprocal visa-free entry to Chinese group tourists, this rebound is expected to accelerate further. Industry sources say China routes are poised to regain their status as "golden routes."

Korean Air plans to increase weekly flights to China from 194 last October to 203 this October. It has resumed services on the Incheon-Kunming and Busan-Qingdao routes, launched a new Incheon-Fuzhou service last December with four weekly flights, and is considering further expansions depending on demand.

Asiana Airlines also responded quickly to this change, increasing its weekly China services by 26 from late March, now operating 18 routes with 164 weekly flights. It resumed flights to Chongqing and Chengdu and increased flights to Dalian from seven to 10 per week, to Changsha from four to five, to Yanji from five to eight, and to Changchun from six to nine.

LCCs are targeting less competitive routes to smaller cities. Jeju Air has been the most aggressive, launching a Busan-Shanghai Pudong route with four weekly flights on July 25 and opening a new Incheon-Guilin route with four weekly flights from Oct. 1.

It will also increase Incheon-Weihai flights from five to seven per week in September. Load factors are improving as well, rising from the low 70 percent range in January to the high 80s in August.

Tourists shop at a Lotte Duty Free store in Jung District, central Seoul, on Sept. 7. [YONHAP]

T’way Air is operating three weekly flights from Daegu to Zhangjiajie and from Incheon to Wuhan, bolstering its presence in regional airports. Air Busan expanded its Busan-Zhangjiajie service from four to six weekly flights, resumed Busan-Xi’an, and plans to operate chartered Busan-Guilin flights twice a week for about two months starting in late October to attract group travelers from southern China.

Jin Air resumed Incheon-Qingdao flights in May with six weekly operations and is preparing to launch Incheon-Guilin later this year. Eastar Jet restarted its Jeju-Shanghai route and added a new Incheon-Yantai service this month.

For budget carriers, the return of Chinese group tourists marks a critical turning point for earnings in the second half of this year. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, China routes accounted for 10 to 20 percent of passenger revenue for Korean airlines, supported by high fares relative to distance and steady demand from group travel.

“With the summer peak season and the October Golden Week approaching, competition to capture youke demand will only intensify,” said an LCC representative.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PARK YOUNG-WOO [[email protected]]