Airlines Compete to Increase Flights to China

Chinese government’s restrictions on trips to Japan
Causes 490,000 cancellations…Expectations for increased tourism to Korea
Domestic airlines rapidly increase flights

As the Chinese government has issued a ban on Japanese culture and products which practically restricts travel to Japan, Korea’s airline industry is actively seeking to attract youke (Chinese tourists), hoping to benefit from China’s ban. According to an industry source, major domestic airlines are actively expanding their routes to China, anticipating China’s ban on Japanese culture and products to create an unexpected boon to overcome their poor performance in the third quarter of 2025.

Korea-China travel demand is already rapidly increasing, driven by factors such as visa-free travel between both countries. According to aviation statistics from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, the number of flights between Korea and China in October this year reached 10,618, a 4.5% increase from the same month last year (10,156). The number of passengers also recorded 1,538,109, a 22.4% rapid increase from the same month last year (1,256,392).
Airlines are also rapidly expanding their routes to China. Since the flight distance to China is longer than that to Japan, fares are higher and there is greater demand for duty-free shopping, resulting in relatively higher profitability.
Korean Air increased flights on its Incheon-Fuzhou route from three to four times a week last month. Asiana Airlines plans to expand its total China routes to 165 flights by March next year, a 120% increase.

Low-cost carriers (LCCs) are also increasingly focusing on targeting China routes. The number of Jeju Air passengers has already surpassed last year’s total, with 495,000 passengers on its China routes between January and October this year. T’way Air is also expanding its routes to smaller cities in China, centered around regional airports such as Incheon-Wuhan and Zhangjiajie.

Korean-Products.com | Blog Magazine of Korean products, brands and Goods