South Korea Expands Winter International Flights Above Pre-Pandemic Level

South Korea will expand its international passenger flight schedule during the 2026-27 winter season, taking weekly services above both last year's level and the comparable period before the pandemic.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said 5,353 international flights per week are scheduled from October 25 through March 27, 2027. The winter program covers 264 routes linking South Korea with 44 countries.

A total of 84 airlines are due to operate the services. That group includes 11 South Korean carriers and 73 foreign airlines, giving travelers a mix of domestic and overseas operators across the seasonal network.

The planned weekly total is 7.6 percent higher than the 4,973 flights operated during the previous winter season. It also exceeds the 4,980 weekly flights recorded in the winter of 2019, before the disruption to international aviation caused by the pandemic. The comparison indicates that Korea's scheduled international passenger capacity has moved beyond its earlier benchmark on the basis of flight frequency.

Japan and China account for the largest additions to the timetable. Weekly services to Japan will increase by 314, while services to China will rise by 232. The ministry attributed the expansion to strong demand from both inbound and outbound travelers.

The concentration of new flights on the two neighboring markets reflects their importance to Korea's short-haul international network. More frequent services can provide passengers with a wider choice of departure times and routes during the winter travel period, while also increasing the number of available links for visitors entering the country.

The schedule begins on October 25, the same date on which the seasonal operating period opens, and will remain in effect for roughly five months. Actual airline operations can still be influenced by commercial decisions and operating conditions, but the approved seasonal plan sets out the overall scale of international service expected through late March.

For South Korea's aviation and tourism sectors, the rise above both last winter and the 2019 level marks a further expansion of cross-border connectivity. The increase is being led not by a single carrier or route, but by a broad timetable involving dozens of airlines and more than 260 international routes.