Seoul: Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea's leading air carrier, has significantly reduced the number of its international flights from regional airports, data showed Sunday. The airline operated 6,199 international flights from all regional airports nationwide, excluding Seoul's Gimpo Airport and Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, in 2024, marking a 45 percent drop from 11,408 flights in 2019, according to the data compiled by the land ministry.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Korean Air's international flights at Gimhae Airport in the southern port city of Busan decreased by 42 percent, from 9,675 in 2019 to 5,567 in 2024. The figure for the first quarter of 2025 also dropped by 36 percent compared with the same period in 2019, falling to 1,632 international flights from 2,580.

Korean Air explained that the adjustment was inevitable due to delays in aircraft deliveries from manufacturers, prompting it to temporarily scale back operations on certain routes. However, civic groups and local politicians have criticized the move, noting that its international flight operations at Incheon Airport declined by a mere 5.7 percent over the same period.

Demand on certain routes, such as Busan-China, has not yet recovered fully to the pre-pandemic levels, and the airline is increasingly focusing on long-haul routes amid ongoing restructuring in the aviation sector, experts said.