As soon as May, travelers will be able to fly direct from Incheon Airport to Jeju Island. Until now, there haven’t been direct flights between Incheon and Jeju, so most people had to get to Jeju via Gimpo or other airports.
On the 19th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced it had finalized the summer regular flight schedule (March 29–October 24). According to the schedule, the Incheon–Jeju domestic route could begin as early as May, restarting service that was suspended in October 2016 after a 10-year hiatus.
The government’s summer plan reflects an emphasis on expanding international routes, strengthening connections with regional airports, and adding the new Incheon–Jeju service.
Over the summer, airlines will operate a total of 1,806 weekly flights across 20 routes—12 to Jeju and 8 other domestic routes. Jeju services account for 1,534 of those weekly flights. The transfer-only domestic shuttle between Gimhae and Incheon will increase by four weekly flights, bringing the total to 39 per week.
This move follows directives from last month’s National Tourism Strategy meeting, which was chaired by President Lee Jae-myung.
At the meeting, the president noted that it’s difficult to reach domestic airports directly from Incheon Airport; travelers currently must go to Gimpo, which adds time. He urged the relevant ministries to come up with measures and asked whether there were any obstacles to allowing direct flights from Incheon to regional airports.
International service will also expand for the summer season. The ministry says up to 4,820 international flights are planned across 245 routes. New services include Busan–Miyakojima (operated by Jin Air), and resumed routes include Incheon–Montreal (Air Canada), Incheon–Calgary (WestJet), and Incheon–Zagreb (T’way).
Joo Jong-wan, director of aviation policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said this is the first regular flight approval since revisions to the Aviation Business Act enforcement rules aimed at ensuring airlines’ safe operations. He said the schedule was finalized with safety as the top priority while actively considering public travel demand.
He added that the ministry will step up safety management and continue working to expand travelers’ options.
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