Quick answer: Korea's winter flight schedule runs from 25 October 2026 to 27 March 2027 with 5,353 international flights a week, 7.6 per cent more than last winter. Six new direct China routes start, four of them from regional airports such as Busan and Cheongju. Explera DMC Korea uses those gateways to route groups in and out without doubling back.
What is in Korea's winter flight schedule?
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has finalised the season: 5,353 international flights a week on 264 routes to 44 countries, flown by 84 airlines. That is 380 more a week than last winter, and above the 4,980 a week Korea had in 2019.
The growth is not spread evenly. Flights to Japan rise by 314 a week and flights to China by 232, so most of the new seats sit on the two short-haul markets that already send Korea the most visitors.
Which new China routes start this winter?
- From Incheon: Ningbo, flown by Air Premia, and Linyi.
- From Busan Gimhae: Guangzhou with Air Busan and Xiamen with Eastar Jet.
- From Cheongju: Xiamen with Eastar Jet.
- More room at the regional airports. The ministry has raised the flight caps at Gimhae and Cheongju; at Cheongju the weekend cap goes up by a quarter, and the airport has 21 international routes to five countries this winter.
How we route groups with the new schedule
- Open jaw, not a round trip. A group from southern China can fly into Busan and out of Incheon, or the other way round, and lose the half-day spent travelling back to the arrival airport.
- Cheongju for central Korea. Cheongju is the closest international airport to Daejeon and the Chungcheong provinces, so a programme there no longer has to start with a long transfer from Seoul.
- Operating days before hotels. A filed schedule is not a guarantee. We check the days each route actually flies before we fix hotels and coaches around it.
- Lunar New Year comes early. It falls on 6 February 2027, inside this season, and China and Korea both travel that week. Seats for groups in late January and early February go first.
Planned with the agent
Explera DMC Korea builds group programmes around the flights that actually operate, with arrival and departure airports chosen to fit the route rather than the other way round.
Send your dates, pax and requirements to b2b@explera.kr or WhatsApp +66 93 656 8090. Explera DMC Korea is IATA TIDS-registered (96215733) and an ASTA member (#900408341); our KTO and KATA registrations are in application.
Where this fits in our Korea programmes
The pages below carry the operational detail behind this briefing.
- Services: Transportation & coaches in Korea · Group travel & GIT in Korea · Rail & transfers in Korea
- Destinations: Busan · Seoul · Incheon
Frequently asked questions
When does Korea's winter flight schedule run?
From 25 October 2026 to 27 March 2027, the northern winter season used by airlines worldwide.
How many international flights a week does Korea have this winter?
5,353 a week on 264 routes to 44 countries, flown by 84 airlines. That is 7.6 per cent more than last winter, according to the transport ministry's figures.
Which new routes link Korea and China this winter?
Six new direct routes, among them Incheon to Ningbo and Linyi, Busan to Guangzhou and Xiamen, and Cheongju to Xiamen.
Can a group fly into Busan or Cheongju instead of Incheon?
Yes, where the route suits the group. Explera DMC Korea often plans an open jaw, in through one airport and out through another, after checking the days each route operates.
