South Korea’s Air Premia has announced its upcoming route from Seoul Incheon to Washington Dulles, set to commence on April 24, 2025. This new service aims to capitalize on the peak summer travel season, which typically sees increased demand and higher fares. Additionally, the airline is planning charter flights to Las Vegas starting in January.
According to data from Aeroroutes, the Incheon-Dulles route served approximately 124,000 round-trip passengers in the year leading up to September 2025. When considering all airports in the Washington D.C. area, the combined traffic reached around 154,000 passengers. The introduction of Air Premia marks the first time two carriers will operate on this route, directly competing with Korean Air.
Flight Schedule and Aircraft Details
While flight bookings are not yet available, Aeroroutes indicates that Air Premia plans to operate four flights weekly to Dulles. The first flight is expected to leave South Korea at 10:05 AM, arriving the same day at 10:50 AM, with a flight duration of approximately 13 hours and 45 minutes. Return flights to Incheon will last up to 15 hours and 25 minutes, as the airline will avoid Russian airspace.
Air Premia currently operates eight Boeing 787-9 aircraft, with an average age of 7.4 years. A ninth aircraft, previously operated by Korean Air, is expected to join the fleet shortly. The airline’s aircraft have different seating capacities, ranging from 309 to 344 seats, and various configurations are utilized on its routes to the United States.
Air Premia’s Growing US Presence
Air Premia commenced its US operations in 2022, initially launching flights to Los Angeles. The airline expanded its routes in 2023 with services to Newark and San Francisco, and it plans to start flights to Honolulu in 2025. Although the airline had previously announced intentions to introduce a route to Seattle, no official confirmation has been made. As of now, the US market will feature four carriers serving the Seattle to Seoul route by September 2025, including Alaska Airlines, Asiana, Delta, and Korean Air.
According to Cirium Diio data, Air Premia intends to operate 31 weekly flights to the US by December 1, 2025. This includes 11 flights weekly to Los Angeles, daily flights to Newark, and five weekly flights to San Francisco. The airline will also offer four flights weekly to both Honolulu and Washington Dulles. In total, there will be 242 weekly departures between Seoul and the US, giving Air Premia a market share of approximately 13%.
The Washington D.C. area, encompassing Dulles, Reagan, and Baltimore airports, recorded around 1.5 million passengers traveling to and from Asia in the year ending September 2025, averaging over 4,100 daily passengers. The most popular routes included Tokyo, with 185,000 passengers, followed by Seoul, which accounted for 154,000 passengers.
As the aviation landscape evolves, Air Premia’s entry into the Washington D.C. market could provide new opportunities, especially as the competition among airlines continues to grow.
