Jejuair carries about 1.06 million foreign passengers on international routes in first 5 months of 2026, up 23%

Jejuair said Tuesday that about 1.058 million of its approximately 3.589 million international passengers from January through May were foreign nationals, accounting for 29.5 percent of the total. The figure represents a 23 percent increase from roughly 860,000 foreign passengers recorded over the same period last year.

Japanese travelers made up the largest share of foreign passengers on Jejuair's international routes during the period, at about 449,000, or 42 percent of the total. Travelers from Chinese-speaking regions — including China, Taiwan and Hong Kong — numbered about 327,000 (31 percent), while passengers from Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam totaled about 130,000 (12 percent).

The Incheon–Tokyo (Narita) route recorded the highest number of foreign passengers at about 119,000, followed by the Incheon–Osaka route at about 115,000 and the Busan–Taipei route at about 55,000.

The routes with the highest proportion of foreign passengers were Jeju–Beijing (Capital/Daxing) at 97 percent, Incheon–Jiamusi at 93 percent and Incheon–Yanji at 84 percent.

Inbound demand from Mongolia and Southeast Asia was also strong beyond Japan and Chinese-speaking regions. Foreign passengers accounted for 63 percent of travelers on the Incheon–Ulaanbaatar route, 51 percent on Incheon–Manila, and 44 percent each on Incheon–Singapore and Incheon–Bangkok.

Among the roughly 41,000 American passengers who flew Jejuair's international routes, 63 percent traveled on Korea–Japan routes, a pattern the airline attributed to demand for multi-city Japan itineraries and international transit connections.

Jejuair has worked to raise its overseas brand profile since 2010 through hallyu-star endorsements, aircraft livery wraps and themed product campaigns. The airline also runs its signature "Jjim Special" fare promotions and accommodation and transport partnership discounts in overseas markets, and uses social media to attract inbound tourists.

"Driven by the spread of K-culture and growing tourism demand for Korea, foreign passenger numbers are rising, particularly on Japan, Chinese-speaking region and Southeast Asia routes," a Jejuair official said. "We will continue to enhance convenience for foreign customers visiting Korea through a route strategy that balances demand from Korean travelers and foreign visitors, backed by customer-centered service, and further strengthen our position as Korea's leading low-cost carrier."

Meanwhile, Jejuair currently operates 57 international routes serving major cities in Japan, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Mongolia, Indonesia and other countries.

The airline is also extending its Incheon–Jeju service. Jejuair recently announced it will extend operations on the Incheon–Jeju route through Oct. 24 to improve access to Jeju and support growth in Jeju tourism.