The latest Sabre MIDT data shows that two-way O&D traffic between Copenhagen and Seoul was 52,489 passengers between December 2018 and November 2019, with a 50/50 split. The figure represents an 8% increase compared to the same period the year before and a 74% increase from 2013, when 30,202 passengers travelled indirectly between the destinations.

The O&D traffic between the capital cities of Denmark and South Korea is comparable to that of Copenhagen - Hong Kong, prior to Cathay Pacific starting non-stop service in May 2018. A total of 58,708 two-way passengers flew between the destinations in 2017, up by 56% compared with 37,559 in 2013. Following the launch of the direct service – first by Cathay Pacific and then by SAS – O&D traffic rose by 21% year-on-year to 71,261 in 2018. Load factor on the route is in excess of 85% on average.

Today, Copenhagen is connected to ten points in Asia (Bangkok, Beijing Capital, Chengdu, Delhi, Hong Kong, Islamabad, Lahore, Shanghai Pudong, Singapore and Tokyo Narita) with more than 50 weekly frequencies during the summer 2019 season.

A fairy tale city with a thriving food and design culture  

Copenhagen has a lot to offer travellers from South Korea and the wider Asian market. Like a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, Copenhagen has charming historic buildings, cobbled streets, and famous sites including Tivoli amusement park and The Little Mermaid statue. The city offers plenty of opportunities for great shopping, with Danish design icons including LEGO, Georg Jensen and Royal Copenhagen. On the practical side, Copenhagen is a very safe city with good public transport and an emphasis on clean nature and sustainability.

Younger generations are also increasingly interested Copenhagen’s thriving ‘foodie culture’, serving up the local New Nordic cuisine and a total of 22 Michelin stars between 17 restaurants. These travellers are also making the most of what Denmark and Europe have to offer. Renting a car to go off the beaten track, young explorers and families are increasingly heading to the city of Odense to visit the birthplace of HC Andersen, or to Southern Jutland to experience picking oysters and mussels on the beach. From Copenhagen, it’s easy to visit Sweden by car, train or ferry – in fact CPH Airport serves 40% of the Swedish population. We also have the largest European network of all the airports in Northern Europe and the largest Star Alliance presence, offering better connection opportunities.

The Wonderful Copenhagen tourism board is working to expand the season, promoting the city’s wide range activities and attractions for spring, autumn and winter. Copenhagen is a magical destination for winter, with its countless Christmas markets and Tivoli’s special Christmas and winter openings, while many winter cruises operate out of Copenhagen. 

Strong business links and an excellent commodity mix

In addition to tourism, Copenhagen - Seoul has a high share of business travellers, which continues to increase. Maersk, LEGO and Novo Nordisk are just a few large Danish companies that are very active in South Korea. Denmark is also one of the world leaders in renewable energy, making Copenhagen a prime place to visit for South Korea’s growing energy industry.

The route also offers valuable belly cargo potential. Copenhagen has an excellent commodity mix with high yield machinery parts and pharma cargo combined with low yield items such as fish. Copenhagen’s exports include fresh salmon, raw materials, industrial consumables, food and machinery parts. Key imports include machinery parts, raw materials and high technology.

For more information, please contact Annika Liljenberg, Senior Route Development Manager for Asia.