Jeju Air will open a new route linking Incheon and Sendai, Japan, on Jan. 8 next year, with three flights a week on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. With the number of passengers on Jeju Air's Japan routes up 29% from a year earlier in the first three quarters of this year, one more route to a small or mid-sized Japanese city is being added.
Jeju Air announced the new route plan on the 23rd. The flight departs Incheon International Airport at 8:35 a.m. and lands at Sendai Airport at 10:30 a.m. The return flight takes off from Sendai Airport at 11:30 a.m. and arrives at Incheon Airport at 2:40 p.m. All times are local.
Sendai is the largest city in Japan's Tohoku region and has earned the nickname "City of Trees" for its tree-lined streets and many parks. It is also well known as the home of gyutan, grilled beef tongue cooked over charcoal. Nearby are Matsushima, considered one of Japan's three most scenic views, and the Akiu and Sakunami hot springs.
Jeju Air's results on Japan routes have also grown. Passengers in the first three quarters of this year numbered about 3.7 million, 29% more than about 2.87 million last year. Demand on small and mid-sized city routes also grew, with passengers up 42% on Incheon-Hiroshima and 40% on Incheon-Shizuoka. Total passengers on small and mid-sized Japanese city routes were about 610,000 in 2024 and about 760,000 in 2025, and reached about 700,000 this year by the third quarter alone.
As of October, Jeju Air operates a total of 16 Japan routes: 11 from Incheon, one from Gimpo and four from Busan. Jeju Air plans to relaunch Incheon-Kagoshima from the 25th and Incheon-Hakodate from Dec. 1.
A discount promotion has also been prepared to mark the new route. Tickets booked through Jeju Air's website or mobile app and web until Nov. 8 get fares discounted by up to 20%. Prepaid baggage fees are discounted by up to 50%, and travel and accommodation partner discount coupons are also available.
A Jeju Air official said, "With the Sendai route, we have widened the choices for customers planning trips to small Japanese cities, and they can also enjoy multi-leg trips linked with nearby Tokyo, such as Incheon-Sendai and Tokyo (Narita)-Incheon. We will keep working so that customers can enjoy even more diverse trips through a variety of routes."