Portland airport seeks direct flights linking city with Seoul and Tokyo

The Port of Portland has longstanding ties with Delta, dating back to when the airline first launched non-stop flights from Portland to Seoul-Incheon in 1987. "So, the hub of choice is [Seoul-Incheon]; it has great connectivity beyond, and we are thrilled with what they could offer our customers," Zielke stated.

In addition to talks with SkyTeam partners, representatives met Japan Airlines officials at Routes World 2024 in Bahrain. According to Zielke, establishing direct service routes between Portland and Tokyo or Seoul remains a priority for PDX's Asia-bound network.

Meetings will continue into early 2025, potentially including executives from Korean Air facilitated by Delta. Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines has unveiled its 'Alaska Accelerate' plan following its merger with Hawaiian Airlines but did not announce any long-haul plans from Portland despite operating widebody aircraft capable of such routes.

Zielke emphasized travelers' preference for avoiding connecting flights via Seattle due to limited direct options from Portland: “They want non-stop flights, so that is going to be our continued focus.”

Portland's last direct Asian flight ended in February 2020 when Delta ceased operations between PDX and Tokyo-Narita. Prior connections also included Nagoya Chubu Centrair International Airport until Northwest Airlines merged into Delta in 2008.

Passenger traffic data indicates a decline in Asia-bound travel compared to pre-pandemic levels except for Southeast Asia where numbers slightly increased daily over past figures—though significant decreases were observed particularly on itineraries bound for China.