As the airline industry is sharply recovering and the demand is sharply increasing, Korean Air has decided to resume part of its domestic service out of Incheon International Airport.
Korean Air To Operate Double Daily Flights To Busan From Incheon
Starting September 30, 2022, Korean Air will deploy two Boeing 737-8Max aircraft a day from Incheon (ICN) to Gimhae (PUS) route. Gimhae Airport is the second busiest airport in South Korea after Jeju Island (CJU).
While flights from Jeju generally connect directly to Seoul’s second airport: Gimpo International Airport, passengers from the southeastern part of Korea have restricted options to fly. So to connect these passengers who are flying internationally conveniently, Korean Air decided to reoperate the Busan Incheon route.
Korean Air Incheon – Busan Schedules
Korean Air will operate double daily flights from Incheon to Busan and vice versa. Here is the schedule below:
From Incheon (ICN) to Gimhae (PUS):
| Flight Number | Departure | Arrival | |
| KE1401 | 9:30 | 10:35 | Daily |
| KE1407 | 18:45 | 19:50 | Daily |
And from Gimhae (PUS) to Incheon (ICN):
| Flight Number | Departure | Arrival | |
| KE1402 | 7:00 | 8:10 | Daily |
| KE1408 | 15:25 | 16:35 | Daily |
The aircraft operating on this route will be Boeing B737-8MAX which accommodates 146 passengers.
Who Can Use These Routes
Not all passengers are allowed to use the Incheon – Gimhae route or the other way around. Instead, these “Transfer-Exclusive” flights are not considered domestic flights, they are operated as international flights.
Only passengers who depart from Busan with an onward flight to an international destination from Incheon International Airport can board on this route.
On the other hand, passengers who flew internationally and whose final destination is Busan can use this flight. These passengers will undergo a transfer at Incheon International Airport and procedures such as immigration, customs inspection, and quarantine will be processed at Gimhae International Airport.
In a statement, a representative from Korean Air said:
“We expect the resumption of the operation of the flight between Gimhae and Incheon International Airport to improve the convenience of customers departing from the provinces. Korean Air will continue to improve customer convenience so that customers can conveniently use international flights from Incheon International Airport.”
Summary
Korean Air has resumed domestic service out of Incheon International Airport. This is the first time in nearly three years, the domestic route had paused.
With the transfer-exclusive domestic flight, Korean Air will offer ease of travel for those who live in rural regions to travel internationally.
