Korean budget airline eyes Budapest in major European expansion

South Korea’s budget airline T’way is expanding its long-haul network to include Europe, with plans to operate Airbus A330-900neo aircraft on new routes by 2026. Key cities for expansion include Budapest (Hungary), Prague (Czechia), and Istanbul (Türkiye).

T’way’s planned European expansion

Earlier this month, T’way launched its Seoul-Frankfurt route, AIRportal.hu reports. According to CEO Jeong Hong-Geun, the airline has seen a strong average seat occupancy of 85% on this route from the start, prompting the airline to increase the frequency to daily flights to Frankfurt by next summer.

Jeong also announced plans to add new routes to Budapest, Prague, and Istanbul, which are increasingly popular destinations among South Korean travellers.

According to AIRportal.hu, the South Korean budget airline’s European expansion follows the European Commission’s conditional approval of the Korean Air and Asiana Airlines merger, which required the surrender of some of their flight slots and rights. Additionally, Korean Air has transferred several wide-body aircraft to T’way, enhancing its fleet for long-haul services.

The South Korean budget airline to boost its European routes

This year, T’way added Frankfurt, Paris, Rome, and Barcelona to its European destinations using Airbus A330-200 aircraft, with a seasonal route to Zagreb as well. For summer 2025, the airline plans to increase Frankfurt flights from four per week to six by late April and then to daily flights starting in May.