Foreigners make up 89%, 74% of passengers on Busan-Taipei, Busan-Hong Kong routes

Airline continues joint marketing with partner agencies

Carrier vows to accelerate efforts to attract more foreign tourists

Eastar Jet staff pose for a photo at a ceremony marking the launch of the Busan-Xiamen route. [Eastar Jet]
Eastar Jet staff pose for a photo at a ceremony marking the launch of the Busan-Xiamen route. [Eastar Jet]

Eastar Jet said Wednesday that the number of foreign passengers on its Busan international routes rose 171 percent year-on-year from January through October. Foreign travelers accounted for 89 percent of passengers on the Busan-Taipei route and 74 percent on the Busan-Hong Kong route.

Total passenger volume on Busan international routes over the same period surged 193 percent — roughly three times the year-earlier figure — while the average load factor rose 8.2 percentage points.

Eastar Jet expanded its Busan route network from six destinations in 2024 to 11 in 2025, and this year added Almaty, Hong Kong and Xiamen, bringing its total Busan routes to 14.

Alongside the route expansion, the airline has been working with partner agencies to attract foreign tourists. On Oct. 26, it held a welcome event at Gimhae International Airport to greet passengers arriving on the inaugural Hong Kong-to-Busan flight, distributing commemorative gifts in partnership with the Busan Tourism Organization. The carrier is also running joint advertisements with Korea Airports Corporation to promote Busan's appeal to foreign visitors.

Eastar Jet plans to keep expanding outbound routes from Busan to give more foreign tourists the opportunity to visit the city. In April, the airline secured traffic rights from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for four Busan routes — to Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Xiamen. Following the launch of the Xiamen service last month, it is set to begin operating the Busan-Hangzhou route in December.

"We also plan to launch the Busan-Shanghai and Busan-Beijing routes in early next year," an Eastar Jet official said. "We will continue to strengthen joint marketing with partner organizations, including the Busan Tourism Organization, Korea Tourism Organization and Korea Airports Corporation, to boost activity on Busan routes and attract more foreign passengers."

Meanwhile, Eastar Jet maintenance division head Lee Jeong and cabin training team leader Kim Jae-won received commendations from the prime minister and the minister of land, infrastructure and transport at the 46th Aviation Day ceremony. The event was held Friday afternoon at Mayfield Hotel in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, in recognition of their contributions to building aviation safety infrastructure.


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