Flights to Hungary, Austria to increase as Central Europe grows popular

A tourist visits St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, Austria, in this undated photo. gettyimagesbank

Flights connecting Korea to Hungary and Austria will increase from six to 14 and from four to 21 per week, respectively, thanks to rising demand among Korean travelers for Central Europe.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Wednesday it has struck an agreement with both countries to expand flight schedules to meet rising passenger demand in Korea. The Korea-Hungary schedule update came for the first time in 12 years.

Under the revised agreement expanding traffic rights between Korea and European countries, Hungary agreed to add eight weekly flights. Korea’s flag carriers, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, will serve airports in both countries.

This comes after LOT Polish Airlines, which operated flights between Hungary and Korea, halted the route in April 2025, reducing available flights for Korean passengers.

Flights between Korea and Austria will see an even larger increase, with the number of flights having remained unchanged since 1996. The addition of 17 weekly flights includes 10 connecting all airports in both countries and seven linking airports across Korea with regional Austrian airports outside Vienna.

The flight expansion followed aviation talks between the ministry and the governments of Hungary and Austria last week.

The back-to-back talks in Europe came as the Korean government last August launched a new public-private committee including companies in tourism and other related industries, the Korea Tourism Organization and airport authorities to assess ongoing tourism demand. The survey showed a sharp rise in demand for trips to Central Europe.

"We expect these agreements to increase our airliners’ traffic rights with Central European countries, significantly enhancing travel convenience and options for our citizens," said Joo Jong-wan, chief of the ministry's Aviation Policy Division.

"We will keep monitoring consumer voices and lay groundworks for expanding airline routes by pursuing aviation talks with countries that have visible tourism demand here.”