Korean Air to Increase Aomori-Seoul Flights Amid Upbeat Demand

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:20 JST, February 1, 2026

AOMORI — Korean Air plans to increase regular flights between Aomori and Seoul to five round trips a week during summer this year, the Aomori prefectural government said Friday.

The move came following requests from the prefectural government and related entities amid growing demand for flights on the route.

Korean Air currently runs round-trip flights on the Aomori-Seoul route three times a week. For the summer schedule — March 29 to Oct. 24 — the airliner plans to increase flights to five days: Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.

The aircraft type for the flights will change in order to increase seating capacity from 158 to 182. With the boost in the number of flights and seating capacity, the total number of seats available on the route will roughly double from the current level.

According to the prefectural government’s tourism promotion and exchange division, the number of Korean Air’s passengers on the route was 41,247 in 2025, with a load factor of 82.6%. Reservations for flights had reportedly been often difficult to secure.

The new flight schedule is likely to enhance convenience for direct travel between Japan and South Korea and connecting Japan to Southeast Asian countries via South Korea. “This will make it easier for people to plan travel schedules as well as expand people exchanges significantly,” an official of the division said.

The airline company launched its Aomori-Seoul flights in April 1995. After suspending flights on the route in March 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it resumed the service in January 2024.