Low-cost carriers (LCCs) are increasing international routes departing from Busan and Jeju. They aim to target nearby consumers by avoiding saturated Incheon and Gimpo. Some voice concerns that demand is less stable than for flights departing from Incheon and Gimpo.
According to the aviation industry on the 9th, Eastar Jet Co. is preparing to officially launch the Busan–Almaty (Kazakhstan) route next summer. The Busan–Almaty route is the second Central Asia route after Uzbekistan's Kanotshaq Air has operated the Busan–Tashkent route since June. Eastar Jet Co. also launched service on the Busan–Fukuoka, Osaka, and Sapporo (Japan) routes on Oct. 26. In September, it hired Busan-based cabin crew.
T'way Air will begin operating the Jeju–Fukuoka route in December. In October, it launched the Busan–Fukuoka and Sapporo routes, and in August it added the Jeju–Singapore route. In October, Jeju Air and JIN AIR began operating the Busan–Phu Quoc and Jeju–Taipei routes, respectively.
LCCs are increasing locally departing routes because competition is lighter. An LCC official said, "Regional airports such as Busan and Jeju have fewer routes, leaving room for development." Another LCC official noted, "International flights from Incheon and Gimpo are often sold at a loss, but locally departing routes can be priced profitably," adding, "There is also demand that prefers direct flights even if they are a bit more expensive than going to Incheon or Gimpo to transfer."
The effects LCCs expect vary by region. Routes departing from Busan primarily aim to target Korean consumers. An LCC official said, "If you combine Busan's population with nearby Ulsan and South Gyeongsang, the market is sizable enough to operate routes stably." According to the Southeastern Regional Statistics Office, the population of the southeastern region, including Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang, was 7,446,000 as of 2023. Routes departing from Jeju mainly target overseas consumers.
There are also concerns about the LCC industry focusing on internationally bound flights departing from regional airports. An LCC official said, "It is true that locally departing routes are less stable compared with Incheon and Gimpo," adding, "If LCCs launch a large number of planes and competition intensifies, profitability may decline and withdrawals cannot be ruled out."