Korea Allocates Traffic Rights on 25 Routes — Budget Carriers Enter Beijing and Shanghai, Cargo Rights to Tianjin and Other Chinese Hubs Assigned

Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on 16 September that, following review by its Air Transport Deliberation Committee, it had allocated traffic rights on 25 international routes to 10 Korean airlines. The move hands out to individual carriers the additional Korea–China rights agreed at this year’s bilateral aviation talks. Low-cost carriers (LCCs) and new airlines are entering Incheon–Beijing and Shanghai, routes long dominated by full-service carriers, and cargo rights linking Korea with Tianjin, Zhengzhou, Ezhou and Hefei have also been assigned.

By the editorial desk

What was decided

At aviation talks in May this year, Korea and China agreed to raise weekly passenger traffic rights from 608 to 664 flights, an increase of 56. It was the first expansion of Korea–China rights since 2019. This allocation turns that agreement into rights held by specific airlines. The ministry said the round was focused on “responding to recent growth in Korea–China passenger demand.”

Competition on Incheon routes widens. On Incheon–Beijing, Eastar Jet and Jeju Air each received 7 weekly flights; on Incheon–Shanghai, Parata Air got 4 and Air Premia 3. Jin Air secured Incheon–Guangzhou (7 weekly), Trinity Airways Incheon–Dalian (7), Eastar Jet Incheon–Nanjing (3), Jeju Air Incheon–Changsha (4) and Parata Air Incheon–Hangzhou (4).

More direct flights from Korea’s regional airports

Air Busan received Busan–Chengdu and Busan–Harbin at 4 weekly flights each, and Jin Air Busan–Hangzhou at 2. From Cheongju, Aero K got Dalian (3 weekly); from Daegu, Eastar Jet got Beijing (3) and Trinity Airways Xiamen (3). At Muan, Aero K secured Beijing (3) and Yanji and Zhangjiajie (2 each), while Jeju Air got Shanghai (3). At Yangyang, Parata Air received Shanghai and Hangzhou at 3 weekly flights each.

The Tianjin angle is cargo

No Tianjin passenger route appears on this allocation list. What matters for Korean residents and businesses in Tianjin is cargo: rights between Korea and Tianjin, Zhengzhou, Ezhou and Hefei were allocated to Korean Air and Air Zeta at 7 weekly flights each. The ministry expects wider links with Chinese cargo-hub airports to help Korean exporters and importers strengthen supply chains.

As we reported in August, the May talks added 14 weekly cargo flights between Korea and these four hubs, with Ezhou and Hefei as new points. This round splits that allowance between the two carriers. How each will spread its 7 weekly flights across the four points has not yet been announced.

Allocation is not the same as service

An allocation only grants the right to fly. Each airline must still agree schedules and airport slots with the Chinese side before operations begin. Jung Chae-kyo, head of the ministry’s aviation policy office, noted that high oil prices linked to the recent Middle East conflict have raised airlines’ operating burden, and said the ministry would support carriers in actually launching the routes. In other words, some carriers may delay launches for profitability reasons.

What overseas Koreans and Korean firms should check

Business trips and trips home. Beijing’s airports are reachable from Tianjin by high-speed rail or car, so a rise in Incheon–Beijing capacity from 38 to 52 weekly flights may widen options. Launch dates and fares for new entrants should be confirmed from each airline’s announcements.

Air-cargo quotes. Companies moving air cargo between Korea and Tianjin may want to compare existing forwarder quotes and lead times once Korean Air and Air Zeta publish actual schedules.

Routes home for residents from outside Seoul. More direct flights from Busan, Daegu, Cheongju, Muan and Yangyang to Chinese cities could create ways home that bypass Incheon — again, subject to confirmed launches.

These three points are the editorial desk’s assessment; the real effect will only be clear once each airline confirms its schedule.

※ This article is an automatically generated draft based on reporting by Travel Times, Korea Social Welfare Journal and International Focus (17 September 2026) and the ministry’s announcement. Editorial review is required before publication.