T'way Air's first long-haul route has become one of the budget carrier's biggest success stories, surpassing 400,000 cumulative passengers as the airline prepares to expand daily service between Incheon and Sydney later this year.

The carrier said Friday that its Incheon-Sydney route has carried more than 400,000 passengers since launching in December 2022, underscoring steady demand for both leisure and business travel between Korea and Australia.

The route has operated 1,350 flights since its debut and has transported an average of about 120,000 passengers a year.

The airline said the service has consistently maintained an average load factor close to 90 percent, making it one of the company's strongest-performing long-haul routes.

The milestone also reflects continued growth in exchanges between Korea and Australia following the pandemic, with the route supporting both passenger travel and cargo transportation, the airline said.

Beyond passenger traffic, the route has become an increasingly important cargo corridor using the belly cargo capacity of the Airbus A330 aircraft.

The airline transports electronics, automotive parts and industrial machinery in unit load devices, helping expand freight operations between the two countries. Cargo volume on the route increased from about 900 metric tons in 2023 to about 2,700 metric tons in 2025, roughly tripling over two years, according to the airline.

The Incheon-Sydney service currently operates three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Beginning with the 2026 winter schedule in October, the airline plans to increase service to daily flights, expanding the route to seven flights a week. The carrier said the additional flights are expected to improve travel convenience while supporting stronger tourism and business exchanges between Korea and Australia.

The airline currently operates five domestic and 58 international routes and plans to continue expanding its fleet with Airbus A330-900neo and Boeing 737-8 aircraft.

The company also said it recently approved a corporate name change to Trinity Air at a shareholders meeting, with operations under the new name set to begin after receiving regulatory approvals.

A T'way Air official said the route's success has been driven by customer support since its launch and said the airline will continue to prioritize safe operations while expanding travel options.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.