Korean Air: "Tokyo Is the Most Visited Destination... 16.5 Million Passengers and 280 Million Kilometers Flown"

The Most Frequent Flyer Boarded 216 Times

This year, the top three overseas destinations most frequently visited by passengers flying with Korean Air were Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka in Japan. Korean Air carried a total of 16.49 million passengers and flew 280 million kilometers-enough to complete the distance from Baekdu Mountain to Hallasan Mountain 560,000 times.

According to Korean Air’s “2025 Year-End Report” released on its website on December 11, Tokyo remained the most visited city by passengers departing from Korea for the second consecutive year. Osaka ranked second, Fukuoka third, and Bangkok came in fourth.

The number of passengers on routes to China increased significantly compared to last year. The number of passengers traveling from Korea to Shanghai rose by 128,000, making it the most popular Chinese travel destination. The number of visitors to Beijing increased by 71,000, and to Qingdao by 63,000.

By age group, those in their 30s and 40s accounted for the largest share at 40%. Passengers in their 50s and 60s made up 30%, those in their teens and 20s accounted for 21%, and other age groups represented 9%. Foreign nationals made up 35% of all passengers, with U.S. and Chinese nationals each accounting for the highest proportion among foreigners at 24%.

The most frequent flyer with Korean Air this year boarded a total of 216 times, equivalent to 108 round trips. There were 5,192 children who traveled alone on international flights with the assistance of Korean Air’s “Unaccompanied Minor Service.” A total of 31,818 pets traveled overseas by plane.

This year, Korean Air announced a new corporate identity and unveiled new aircraft livery, while also making major changes to its airport lounges. Thirty-four aircraft received the new livery, with more to be repainted sequentially next year.

The cumulative number of visitors to the Korean Air lounge at Incheon International Airport’s Terminal 2 reached 1.316 million. Since the new lounge opened in August, 342,000 people have visited. The most popular item at the new lounge was pizza prepared live at the chef’s station.

The most frequently pre-ordered Prestige Class in-flight meal was stir-fried octopus with rice (Nakji Bokkeum and Baekban). The second most popular was pork with rice wraps (Jeyuk Ssambap), followed by beef steak with rosemary sauce in third place.

Among in-flight entertainment options, the most-watched movie was “Captain America: Brave New World,” distributed by Walt Disney Company Korea. The most-watched drama was tvN’s “Carry Sunja on My Back,” and the most popular variety show was MBC’s “I Live Alone.”

Yonhap News Agency

Korean Air SkyPass mileage was used in a wide variety of ways. For redemptions under 10,000 miles, the most popular option was “Cash & Miles,” accounting for 37%. Cash & Miles is a service that allows customers to use mileage for up to 30% of the ticket price (excluding taxes and fuel surcharges) when purchasing regular tickets through the Korean Air website or mobile app. The next most popular use was the “KE Design Store,” which sells Korean Air-branded merchandise, at 16%. The most frequently purchased item with mileage was the TWB face towel.

More customers also used Korean Air gift cards to share warm wishes with others. The number of gift cards used doubled from last year to 36,000. The highest number of gift cards purchased by a single person was 71. This year-end report was compiled based on international flight data from January 1 to November 10 (with some content based on international flights departing from Korea).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.