South Korea–U.S. Air Travelers Surpass 4 Million for the First Time; Airlines Expand Capacity

[Financial News] The number of passengers traveling between South Korea and the United States is expected to exceed 6 million annually for the first time this year. Passenger traffic on South Korea–U.S. routes surpassed 4 million for the first time through August, as the number of Americans visiting Korea and demand for connections from China to the United States both increased, sustaining passenger growth.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT)'s Airportal aviation information system on the 17th, 4,054,279 passengers traveled between South Korea and the U.S. mainland from January through August this year, up 6.8% from the same period a year earlier. This was the first time the January–August passenger total exceeded 4 million since related statistics began in 2009. During the same period, the number of flights on South Korea–U.S. routes rose 5.1% year on year. In other words, passenger growth outpaced the expansion of available capacity.
Passenger traffic from January through August was up 10.9% from the same period in 2024 and 27.8% from 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. If the current growth trend continues through the end of the year, annual passenger traffic on South Korea–U.S. routes is expected to exceed 6 million for the first time.
One factor driving demand on South Korea–U.S. routes is the increase in American tourists visiting Korea. According to data from the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), 1,483,240 Americans visited Korea last year, up 12.4% from the previous year. Compared with the 1,044,038 visitors recorded in 2019, before COVID-19, the figure was 42.1% higher. In the first half of this year, the number of American visitors also rose 11.1% year on year to 811,974.
The continued growth of South Korea–U.S. routes is also being supported by rising demand for connections between China and the United States through Incheon International Airport. With nonstop service between China and the U.S. yet to recover to pre-COVID-19 levels, the number of Chinese passengers transiting through Incheon has continued to increase.
According to Incheon International Airport Corporation, of the 2,337,685 transfer passengers departing from Incheon International Airport in the first half of this year, 638,200 had the United States as their final destination. They accounted for the largest share, at 27.3% of the total. Transfer passengers whose final destination was China numbered 287,500, accounting for 12.3%.
During the same period, 607,000 of the 2,419,685 transfer passengers arriving at Incheon had departed from the United States, accounting for 25.1%. Passengers departing from China numbered 334,000, or 13.8%.
As demand increased, Korean airlines also expanded capacity on routes to the Americas. Korean Air increased service on its Incheon–Atlanta route twice, in March and May, raising the frequency from seven flights per week to 11 and then to 14. Asiana Airlines likewise doubled service on its Incheon–New York route from seven to 14 flights per week starting in March. Air Premia launched new service on the Incheon–Washington, D.C. route in April, operating four flights per week.
New operators are also preparing to enter the U.S. market. Parata Air is considering deploying an A330-200 on the Incheon–Los Angeles (LA) route starting in May next year, with at least seven flights per week. The airline plans to attract China–U.S. transfer passengers by linking routes to China with its Los Angeles service in the future.
[email protected] Won-il Jung Reporter