A total of 6,609 flights operated between Busan and Taiwan through July, already matching the full-year total for 2024 and reaching 82.9 percent of the 7,976 flights recorded in all of 2025, according to aviation statistics from Korea Airports Corp.
Passenger traffic has grown even faster.
Some 1.14 million passengers traveled on Busan-Taiwan routes during the first seven months of this year, surpassing the 1.06 million recorded in all of 2024. The full-year figure for 2025 stood at 1.33 million.
Airlines have responded by adding flights and launching new services.
Taiwanese carriers including EVA Air and Starlux Airlines have expanded their presence, while South Korean carriers have also increased frequencies.
Nine airlines currently operate between Busan and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport near Taipei, while direct services also connect Busan with Kaohsiung and Taichung.
Most flights between Busan and Taiwan are reported to have load factors of more than 80 percent.
The popularity of Busan has even spawned a new expression on Taiwanese social media, “Busan sickness,” referring to travelers who miss the city after returning home and feel compelled to visit again.
Taiwanese travelers were the largest group of foreign visitors to Busan this year. Of the 2.93 million foreign tourists who visited the city through July, about 605,000 were from Taiwan.
Busan’s food, combination of mountains and sea, ease of travel and growing network of direct flights are among the factors credited with attracting Taiwanese visitors.
Rising demand from Taiwanese travelers has led airlines to expand direct services, further boosting Busan's appeal as a destination.
“With no restrictions on traffic rights, it is relatively easy for airlines to launch routes or add flights, and the greater choice of direct services appears to have attracted even more Taiwanese travelers,” an aviation industry official said.
Tourism authorities are also stepping up promotions, with Busan targeting repeat Taiwanese visitors through its “Busan sickness” campaign and Taiwan holding a roadshow in Busan last month to attract more South Korean travelers.
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