Korean Air launches first nonstop Seoul Incheon–Lisbon flights

Korean Air began direct flights between Seoul's Incheon airport and Lisbon on 11 September 2024. It was the first nonstop passenger service between South Korea and Portugal. Until then, travellers had to change planes in hubs such as Paris, Frankfurt or Madrid, which added hours to the journey.

The airline began with three flights a week, on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The service started as a public charter, a scheduled-style flight sold to the public under special approval, and ran from September to late October. Korean Air said it planned to extend the route into the winter season. The outbound trip took about 15 hours and the return about 13.

The route mattered for both countries. Portugal's ambassador in Seoul described it as the only direct link between Northeast Asia and Lisbon, and Portuguese officials saw it as a way to attract more Korean visitors. For South Koreans, it made Portugal, long a destination reached mainly through other countries, much easier to visit. Later efforts to promote Portuguese tourism in Korea built on this connection.