Oct. 25 to March 26, 2027

Route connects travelers to destinations across Kyushu

Airbus A321neo aircraft to operate the service

An Airbus A321neo aircraft [Korean Air]
An Airbus A321neo aircraft [Korean Air]

Korean Air announced Friday it will resume service on its Incheon–Oita route for the upcoming winter season, with flights operating from Oct. 25 through March 26, 2027.

The route will operate four times a week — on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Outbound flights depart Incheon International Airport at 9:15 a.m. and arrive at Oita Airport at 10:50 a.m. the same day. Return flights leave Oita at noon and arrive back at Incheon at 1:45 p.m.

The route will be served by an Airbus A321neo configured with 182 seats — 8 in Prestige Class and 174 in economy. Prestige Class seats recline fully flat, while economy passengers will have access to 33-centimeter personal monitors and multi-angle adjustable headrests, among other amenities.

Oita Prefecture, located in the northeastern part of Japan's Kyushu island, is renowned for having the highest hot-spring output in Japan. The resort towns of Beppu and Yufuin in particular draw a steady stream of tourists seeking to relax in open-air baths during the winter months. Beyond hot-spring tours, the region also offers scenic natural landscapes and local culinary experiences.

The resumption of the Oita route is expected to complement Korean Air's existing Kyushu network and offer travelers greater flexibility. Customers will be able to combine the Oita service with the carrier's current routes to Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Nagasaki and Kagoshima to build customized multi-city itineraries across the region.

"With the Oita route back in operation, we have now completed air connections to five Kyushu cities — Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima and Oita — giving our customers a much wider range of travel options," a Korean Air official said. "We will continue to expand our route network to offer customers even more attractive and convenient travel choices."

Meanwhile, Korean Air has been rolling out a range of customer-focused initiatives, including free in-flight Wi-Fi powered by Starlink, which the airline will begin offering starting Tuesday on wide-body and other large aircraft on a phased basis.

The Starlink Wi-Fi service will initially be available on four aircraft — three Airbus A350-900s and one Boeing 777-300ER — that have already completed the necessary retrofitting.


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