Routes / SEOUL / TOKYO

Seoul Tokyo

2 nonstop pairs · 15 nonstop airlines · 389 nonstop flights/week

Korean Air and Asiana both schedule A380s between Incheon and Narita, a flight of about two and a half hours. Seoul to Tokyo runs through four airport pairings. The gap between the fastest and slowest is over an hour of ground transit.

If you are headed to central Tokyo, fly Gimpo to Haneda. The flight is about two hours on Korean Air, Asiana, Japan Airlines, or ANA. Gimpo is 15 km from Gangnam with Line 9 express running there in 35 minutes. Haneda is 14 km from central Tokyo. Compared to Incheon to Narita, the ground time is cut in half on both ends.

If price matters most, fly Incheon to Narita. Jeju Air, Jin Air, T'way, Air Seoul, and Eastar Jet from Korea, plus Zipair and Air Japan from Japan, keep departures running all day. Zipair and Air Premia both fly 787s, so you get a widebody seat at a budget fare. The catch is Narita: over an hour from central Tokyo by train.

Korean Air, Peach, and Asiana also fly Incheon to Haneda. This gets you to the closer Tokyo airport without starting from Gimpo. Peach is the budget pick on this pairing.

Check Gimpo to Haneda first. Those seats sell before anything else on this route. Only four airlines fly it, frequencies are limited, and Korean and Japanese business travelers book early. If Gimpo to Haneda is sold out or the price has spiked, Incheon to Haneda on Peach still lands you at the closer airport for less.

Have a specific need? Use the decision guide below to filter by your airline, where you live, lounges, or where you're staying in Tokyo.

Best Overall

ICN → NRT

3 airlines 354/wk 2h 30m

Asiana Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Jin Air. Also bookable via Aerea, Parata Air, Air Japan, T'way Air +5 more. Fly Gimpo to Haneda if your hotel is in central Tokyo.

Explore ICN → NRT

Strong Alternative

ICN → HND

2 airlines · 35/wk · 2h 20m

Asiana Airlines, Korean Air. Also bookable via Delta Air Lines, Peach. Incheon to Narita on Jeju Air or Zipair saves around half the fare, but both airports sit far from their city centers, adding roughly two hours of trains to the total trip.

Nearby cities with nonstop service

~78mi Cheongju → Narita 1 airline · 21/wk Nearby

Decision Guide

Pick What Matters to You

Show me the best pair for...

Best pair by where you're coming from

Your location determines which airport is closest and most convenient.

Tourist and shopping center. Gimpo via Metro Line 5 in about 35 minutes. Incheon via AREX to Seoul Station plus a subway transfer, about 70 minutes total. Gimpo is the clear winner for this area.

Business district south of the Han River. Gimpo via Line 9 express in about 25 minutes. Incheon to Gangnam takes 70 to 90 minutes by any mode. The worst-case pairing for Incheon arrivals.

University district and nightlife. Fifteen minutes from Gimpo by subway. The AREX all-stop from Incheon passes through Hongik University station, giving both airports a direct rail connection to this neighborhood.

International restaurants and the National Museum. Central enough that both airports are roughly equal in travel time. Gimpo has a slight edge but the difference is minimal.

Palaces, hanok guesthouses, and traditional neighborhoods. Gimpo via Line 5 to Gwanghwamun in about 35 minutes. From Incheon, AREX to Seoul Station and one subway transfer.

Financial district and riverside parks. The closest major district to Gimpo, about 15 minutes by subway. From Incheon, AREX to Seoul Station and transfer to Line 5.

For most Seoul-area travelers, ICN → NRT is the default.12 airlines, 354 flights/wk.

Explore ICN → NRT

Best pair by where you're staying in Tokyo

Your Tokyo airport matters as much as your Seoul airport.

The default base for first-timers. Department stores, Golden Gai, and trains to everywhere. Haneda is around 30 minutes by train. Narita is closer to 90.

The crossing, youth fashion, Cat Street, and Meiji Shrine. Same Haneda advantage as Shinjuku. A younger, louder part of central Tokyo.

Senso-ji, Ueno Park, and Ameyoko market. The one area where Narita holds its own: the Keisei Skyliner reaches Ueno in around 40 minutes. Haneda takes about the same.

Upscale shopping and the Tokyo Station rail hub. The Narita Express terminates at Tokyo Station in around 60 minutes. Haneda connects via monorail or Keikyu line in about half that time.

Waterfront malls, teamLab, and convention space. Haneda is around 15 minutes away. Narita is over an hour. If your trip centers on the bay area, Haneda is the clear choice.

NRT is the right Tokyo airport for most travelers.Check individual route pages for ground transport from NRT.

Explore ICN → NRT

Which pair your airline flies nonstop

Loyalty programs drive airport choice for frequent flyers. Here's where each airline operates.

Airline	ICN–NRT	ICN–HND
Aerea	✓	—
Parata Air	✓	—
Delta Air Lines	—	✓
Air Japan	✓	—
T'way Air	✓	—
Asiana Airlines	✓	✓
Ethiopian Airlines	✓	—
Jin Air	✓	—
Air Busan	✓	—
Viva Macau	✓	—
Jeju Air	✓	—
Eastar Jet	✓	—
Korean Air	—	✓
Peach	—	✓
Skyside	✓	—

Most airlines fly ICN → NRT.1 airlines serve multiple pairs.

Explore ICN → NRT

Ranked by on-time performance

On-time = departing within 15 min of schedule. Higher competition tends to keep airlines punctual.

Insufficient data — 354/wk doesn't generate meaningful OTP stats.

Insufficient data — 35/wk doesn't generate meaningful OTP stats.

ICN → NRT has the most schedule depth.High competition keeps airlines punctual.

Explore ICN → NRT

Lounge access by airport and terminal

Premium lounge access varies dramatically by terminal. This alone can determine airport choice for some travelers.

SkyTeam Elite Plus and Prestige Class passengers. Spacious, well-maintained, with a noodle bar and shower suites. One of the better airline lounges in Asia.

Star Alliance Gold and Business Class. Korean food options, runway views, and enough space that it rarely feels crowded outside peak evening departures.

Priority Pass and paid walk-in access. Standard seating with drinks, snacks, and showers. Functional, not luxurious.

Priority Pass accepted. Quieter than the airline lounges during off-peak hours. Korean snacks and a coffee bar. A decent fallback for long layovers.

Prestige Class and SkyTeam Elite Plus. Small, domestic-scale lounge with drinks and light Korean snacks. Adequate for a short wait before boarding.

Star Alliance Gold and Business Class. Similar size and format to the Korean Air side. Both international lounges at this airport are compact.

Paid walk-in and Priority Pass access. Coffee, soft drinks, and basic seating. Fine for 30 minutes before a flight.

JAL first class and oneworld Emerald status. Sushi at the bar counter, a teppanyaki station, showers, and a sake selection that could anchor a restaurant. Business class passengers with Emerald status qualify.

ANA first class and Diamond status. Full dining room with Japanese and Western courses served at the table, private shower rooms, and a tone closer to a hotel club than an airport lounge. The ANA Lounge one level down serves business class and Star Alliance Gold, and is still excellent.

JAL business class and oneworld Sapphire. Large space with hot food, a noodle bar, beer on tap, and shower rooms. Can get busy before late evening departures but the square footage absorbs the crowd.

Priority Pass and credit card lounge access in the international terminal. Smaller and simpler than the airline lounges. Free drinks and a quiet seat away from the gate. Fine if you lack airline status and want somewhere to sit.

ANA business class and Star Alliance Gold. Large space with a noodle bar, curry station, beer taps, and showers. Crowds build before the evening North America departures. Arrive early. The food alone justifies getting to the airport two hours before boarding.

JAL business class and oneworld Sapphire. Hot food, showers, beer on draft. The first class section is smaller than Haneda's but still has the sushi counter and a quieter atmosphere.

United Club members and Star Alliance Gold on United-operated flights. Drinks and snacks, smaller footprint than the ANA lounge, less interesting food. A place to sit before boarding.

Terminal 2 has carrier-operated lounges that vary in quality. Priority Pass covers options in both terminals, though none approach the level of the ANA or JAL lounges in T1.

Your airline and cabin class determine which lounges you can access.Check route pages for terminal assignments.

Explore ICN → NRT

Ranked by flights per week

More flights = more flexibility. Miss your flight, catch the next one. Schedule depth is insurance.

354/wk (~51/day) — 12 airlines. A departure roughly every 28 minutes at peak.

35/wk (~5/day) — 4 airlines.

ICN → NRT: 354 flights/week.Miss one flight, wait 28 min for the next.

Explore ICN → NRT

Getting to the airport

Cost and time vary by mode. Train is more predictable than driving.

Nonstop to Seoul Station in 43 minutes. Departures every 30 to 40 minutes. The fastest way into the city. From Seoul Station, transfer to the subway for anywhere in central Seoul.

Same rail line, local service that stops at every station including Hongik University. Takes about 56 minutes to Seoul Station. Cheaper than the express and useful if your destination is along the line.

Buses run to major districts including Gangnam, Myeongdong, and Jongno. Around 60 to 90 minutes depending on traffic and destination. Easier with large luggage than the trains.

Around 60,000 to 80,000 won to central Seoul. Takes 60 to 90 minutes depending on traffic and destination. Only worth it for groups splitting the fare or late-night arrivals when trains stop running.

Express service to Gangnam in about 25 minutes. The fastest connection to the business district south of the river. Trains run frequently during business hours.

Connects to Gwanghwamun, Jongno, and eastern Seoul. About 35 minutes to the city center. Useful for the historic districts north of the Han River.

The airport rail line stops here on its way to Seoul Station. Takes about 20 minutes. An option if you need the central rail hub.

Around 15,000 to 20,000 won to most central Seoul destinations. Takes 20 to 40 minutes depending on traffic. Reasonable for groups or late-night arrivals.

Weigh transit time against schedule flexibility.A faster airport with fewer flights may not save you time overall.

Explore ICN → NRT

Red-eye vs daytime departures

Departure timing affects jet lag, hotel costs, and how you spend your first day.

Seoul to Tokyo is a two-hour flight. Red-eye flights do not exist on this route.

ICN → NRT has the most departure options.Check the route page for schedule details.

Explore ICN → NRT

Premium cabin options

Business and first class products on this route, ranked by value and quality.

All four carriers sell business class. Equipment varies: some departures run 787s with lie-flat seats, others use narrowbodies and 767s with recliners. The flight is two hours. You will not use a flat bed. Lounge access at Gimpo and Haneda, both compact and efficient airports, is where business class pays for itself on this route.

Korean Air and Asiana both fly A380s and A330s on Incheon to Narita. Air Premia runs a 787-9. Even in economy, these widebodies are more comfortable than the 737s the LCCs use. The Air Premia 787 economy cabin offers slightly more legroom than the legacy carriers at a lower fare.

On a two-hour flight, the gap between economy and business is a wider seat and a tray meal. Fly the cheapest option on Incheon to Narita and spend the savings in Tokyo. The flight is not long enough for cabin class to change the trip.

Check route pages for cabin details per airline.Business class products vary significantly between carriers.

Explore ICN → NRT

Connecting through Seoul from a domestic flight

Direct flights leave more than 50 times a day across three airport pairs. A connection would add hours to a two-hour trip, and the route is competitive enough that stopover routings almost never save money. Book direct.

Book ICN → NRT. Same airport, no ground transport needed. 12 airlines, 354/wk.

GMP has no Tokyo nonstops. Your airline may offer a single-ticket connection through a hub. Otherwise, ground transport to a nonstop airport.

Avoid cross-airport transfers. No direct transit links between most metro airports. Budget 4+ hours minimum if you must.

Check which Seoul airport your domestic flight arrives at, then book Tokyo from that same airport.ICN arrivals → ICN–NRT · ICN arrivals → ICN–HND

ICN → NRT

Know Your Airports

Seoul & Tokyo Airport Profiles

Each airport has a personality. Terminal quality, transit access, lounge scene, and crowd levels vary dramatically — sometimes more than the flight itself.

Seoul Metro

Incheon International sits on an island in the Yellow Sea, 55 kilometers west of central Seoul. Two terminals, each the size of a standalone international airport. Terminal 1 is the original building, wide and long, with a central duty-free zone that could pass for a shopping mall. Terminal 2 opened in 2018 [VERIFY] and is newer, quieter, and better designed for connections.

Walking distances in both buildings are significant. Budget 15 minutes from security to far gates. A free shuttle runs between terminals every five minutes, but the ride itself takes 15 minutes. Transfer passengers have access to transit hotels, showers, a spa, and Korean cultural experience centers airside. The airport was designed for connections and it shows.

Tokyo Pairs

NRT, HND

Airlines

Flights/Week

389

Closest nonstop airport ICN (Incheon International Airport) · 20mi from GMP

Or connect through KIX Kansai International Airport · 269/wk onward PUS Gimhae International Airport · 77/wk onward KIX Kansai International Airport · 63/wk onward

Tokyo Metro

Narita sits 60 kilometers east of central Tokyo in Chiba prefecture, and that distance defines the entire airport experience. Built in the 1970s when Haneda ran out of international capacity, the location was a political compromise that passengers have been paying for ever since. The airport itself works well: three terminals, clear English and Japanese signage, efficient security lines.

Terminal 1 handles most full-service international carriers. Terminal 2 splits between international and domestic service. Terminal 3 is the budget terminal for low-cost carriers, with a stripped-down fit-out and a long walk from the train station marked by a running track painted on the floor. Food across all three terminals is good, especially the ramen shops in T1 and the family restaurants in T2.

Inside the building, the experience is smooth. Immigration has e-gates for many nationalities. Duty-free shopping is extensive. The problem starts when you leave: you are an hour from central Tokyo by express train. If you miss the last Narita Express or Skyliner, the taxi ride into the city costs around 20,000 to 30,000 yen and takes over an hour on the highway.

Seoul Pairs

ICN

Nonstop from Seoul

354/wk

Into Tokyo

60 min

N'EX to Tokyo Station

Haneda is a city airport in every sense, sitting 15 kilometers south of central Tokyo on the edge of Tokyo Bay. Terminal 3 handles international departures. The building is modern, well-signed in English and Japanese, and compact enough that walking from immigration to your gate rarely takes more than 10 minutes. An observation deck on the top floor looks out over the runways with the Tokyo skyline behind them.

The fourth floor of Terminal 3 recreates an Edo-period street lined with restaurants. Ramen, tonkatsu, sushi, tempura. The food is better than it has any right to be inside an airport. Below the departure level, shops carry Japanese snacks, cosmetics, and last-minute souvenirs without the tourist-trap markup you find at Narita.

Domestic terminals (T1 and T2) are separate buildings connected by free shuttle buses. If you are connecting to a domestic flight to Osaka, Sapporo, or Okinawa after arriving internationally, budget 90 minutes for the terminal transfer and second security screening. Immigration moves faster here than at Narita because international arrivals spread through the day instead of hitting in one wave.

Seoul Pairs

ICN

Nonstop from Seoul

35/wk

Into Tokyo

11 min

Keikyu to Shinagawa

All Pairs

Full Comparison

Every airport combination ranked by schedule depth. ICN–NRT carries 91% of weekly flights with the best on-time record. ICN–HND adds another 9%.

Route	Airlines	Flights/Wk	Share	Duration	OTP
ICN → NRT	3	354		2h 30m	—	Explore →
ICN → HND	2	35		2h 20m	—	Explore →

Coverage Matrix

Which Airlines Fly Which Pairs

Not all planes are the same size. The aircraft type below each checkmark tells you whether you are getting a widebody (777, 787, A350) with wider seats and a quieter ride, or a narrowbody (737, A321) with a single aisle. On flights over five hours, the difference is significant.

ICN–NRT

ICN–HND

Ethiopian Airlines

✓
A350-900

—

Korean Air

—

✓
A350-900

Jin Air

✓
737-800, 777-200

—

Asiana Airlines

✓
A321neo, A330-300

✓
A330-300

Jeju Air (codeshare)

✓
737-800, 737 MAX 8

—

Air Busan (codeshare)

✓
A321

—

Delta Air Lines (codeshare)

—

✓
767-300

Peach (codeshare)

—

✓
A320

Air Japan (codeshare)

✓
787

—

Skyside (codeshare)

✓
A321

—

T'way Air (codeshare)

✓
737-800, 737 MAX 8

—

Parata Air (codeshare)

✓
A330-200

—

Aerea (codeshare)

✓
787-9

—

Eastar Jet (codeshare)

✓
737-800

—

Viva Macau (codeshare)

✓
787-8

—

Quick Reference

Route Facts

Total Nonstops

389/wk

Across 2 pairs

Airlines

12 on ICN–NRT

Fastest Pair

2h 30m

ICN → NRT

Distance

752 mi

1,210 km

Seoul

2 airports

ICN, GMP

Tokyo

2 airports

HND, NRT

No Nonstop

GMP

No Tokyo nonstops

ICN → NRT ICN → HND ICN Routes GMP Routes ICN Delays GMP Delays

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Seoul to Tokyo flights.

Yes. Central Tokyo neighborhoods like Shinjuku and Shibuya are around 30 minutes from Haneda and closer to 90 from Narita. You save well over an hour on each end of the trip. Gimpo is also faster to reach from most of Seoul than Incheon. On a short trip, those extra hours in transit matter more than the fare difference.

Jeju Air, Jin Air, and T'way are established Korean airlines that have been flying for over a decade. Air Seoul is the budget arm of Asiana. Zipair is the budget arm of JAL. They fly modern 737 and 787 fleets and run on schedule. The main difference from full-service carriers on a two-hour flight is seat pitch and whether a meal is included, not safety or punctuality.

LCC fares on Incheon to Narita regularly come in at around half of what the full-service Gimpo to Haneda flights charge. But factor in the cost of getting to Incheon and from Narita, which adds both money and hours. For a solo traveler on a longer trip, the savings add up. For a couple on a weekend getaway, Gimpo to Haneda often makes more sense once you weigh total door-to-door time and cost.

Yes. Search for multi-city itineraries or book two one-way tickets. Flying into Haneda and out of Narita (or the reverse) avoids backtracking if your plans span different parts of Tokyo.

About a dozen flights a day split across JAL, Korean Air, ANA, and Asiana. Flights cluster in the morning and evening with fewer midday options. If you miss one, the next is usually within a couple of hours. Not a shuttle, but flexible enough for a leisure trip.

If you live closer to Incheon than Gimpo, or you are connecting from another international flight at Incheon, and you want to land near central Tokyo. Korean Air and Asiana run full-service flights. Peach offers a budget option. With only a few daily departures, check the schedule before building your plans around it.

Seoul to Tokyo Flights

2 nonstop airport pairs, 15 nonstop airlines, 389 nonstop flights/week.

ICN → NRT: 354/wk, 12 airlines

ICN → HND: 35/wk, 4 airlines