Korean Air, the flagship carrier of South Korea, has confirmed it will be resuming its service from Seoul to Oita for the upcoming winter season, from the end of October to the end of March. This announcement confirms that the Korean airline will be servicing five Japanese destinations across the Kyushu region in Japan for this period.
Korean Air Adds Oita to its Winter Service Schedule
Korean Air has announced it will resume operating flights between Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN), the airline’s primary hub, and Oita Airport (OIT) over the upcoming winter season, from Oct. 25, 2026 to Mar. 26, 2027.
The route will operate four days a week over the period: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. The flights will also have a fixed departure and return time, with departures from Seoul set to leave at 9.15 a.m. and land at OIT by 10.50 a.m. Return flights will depart Oita at 12.00 p.m. and arrive back to ICN at 1.45 p.m.
Korean Air has also stated the route will be serviced by the airline’s Airbus A321neo fleet. The airline currently has 20 of these aircraft in its fleet, all of which have 182 seats. This includes eight seats in the airline’s business class, also known as its prestige class. Prestige Class seats recline fully flat, whilst economy passengers have access to 33-centimetre personal monitors with multi-angle adjustable headrests, according to reports by the South Korean branch of The Herald.
The addition of Oita to Korean Air’s services marks five Japanese destinations the airline will be offering flights to within the Kyushu region, allowing travellers to create multi-city itineraries across the region if they so choose. Other destinations within Kyushu will include Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Nagasaki, and Kagoshima.
The resumption of the Oita service is likely to be a popular destination over the next few months for Korean Air customers. Oita Prefecture has become renowned as a premier destination for hot springs in Japan. In addition to this, it attracts lots of visitors over the winter period seeking scenic natural landscapes and unique culinary experiences.
Fukuoka Now reported that Oita’s Governor Kiichiro Sato has said South Korean visitors accounted for nearly half of foreign guest stays in the Japanese destination.
A representative from Korean Air made this statement about the announcement:
“The return of our Oita service gives passengers the freedom to plan highly customised itineraries across the Kyushu region. We are focused on expanding our network with routes that make a difference in how our customers travel.”
Everything You Need to Know About Korean Air
As previously mentioned, Korean Air is the flag carrier of South Korea as well as holding the title of its largest airline. The airline has been operating since June 1962.
Korean Air serves 126 international destinations in 44 different countries, along with its 13 domestic services on offer.
Whilst the airline now has a strong reputation, with it being one of 11 airlines to receive a five-star ranking from Skytrax in 2024, previously Korean Air was notorious for its large number of accidents and incidents. In 1999, South Korea’s president described the airline’s safety record as an “embarrassment to the nation.” This statement followed Korean Air writing off 16 aircraft due to serious accidents, with a loss of over 700 lives. The Korean airline’s reputation improved only after it made significant investments to improve safety, upgrade its fleet and install new technology.
Korean Air also co-founded one of the world’s three major airline alliances, SkyTeam. Alongside Delta Air Lines, Aeroméxico, and Air France, Korean Air became a founding carrier of the third global airline alliance in 2000. Since its formation, the alliance has gained 15 more airline memberships.
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