Travel
Busan wins approval for new direct flights to the UAE
Haps Magazine Korea
November 24, 2025
(File photo)
Residents of Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam will soon be able to fly directly to the United Arab Emirates without traveling to Incheon Airport.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, South Korea secured a new “regional airport–exclusive flight entitlement” during the ICAO Air Services Negotiation Conference (ICAN) held from November 10 to 14 in the Dominican Republic.
The agreement grants four weekly flights connecting any Korean regional airport with any UAE airport.
Until now, all Korea–UAE flights operated exclusively out of Incheon, meaning travelers from the southeast region had to make long domestic transfers to reach the Middle East.
With the new arrangement, the government expects airlines to open direct routes from Busan and other regional airports in the near future. Given the UAE’s strong economic ties with Korea as well as its popularity as a transit point for Europe and Africa officials anticipate strong demand.
At the same conference, South Korea also signed an air services agreement with the Dominican Republic, marking the country’s tenth aviation pact with a Latin American nation.