Travel Oregon awarded $4.5 million to the Port of Portland to help recruit an airline for year-round, nonstop flights between PDX and Asia.

The grant, announced Monday, Sept. 28, through Travel Oregon's 2026 Competitive Grants Program, is the largest of two awards totaling $5 million. It will help reduce the financial risk for whichever carrier commits to launching service to Tokyo, Seoul or another Asian hub.

No airline has been named.

The Portland region has been without a trans-Pacific route since 2020. Delta Air Lines suspended its Portland-to-Tokyo service that year and relinquished its claim to the route in 2023, KGW reported. Port officials said at the time they were working to start a connection to Seoul.

Port of Portland Executive Director Curtis Robinhold said the grant supports the state's push for international visitors and trade. "Establishing this connection is about bringing new visitors, expanding market access and cementing Oregon's position as a world-class destination to explore and do business," Robinhold said in the grant announcement.

Landing a direct route to Asia or Mexico by May 2027 is part of Robinhold's performance goals this year, KGW reported, citing a Port of Portland Commission meeting agenda. Travel Oregon's announcement said Asia is expected to represent the highest international visitor spend for the region by 2029.

The grant comes about two months after a pointed exchange at PDX. At a July 22 groundbreaking for Alaska Airlines' planned $135 million maintenance hangar, Mayor Keith Wilson declared the airline was close to adding a new intercontinental flight, the Portland Business Journal reported. Alaska Airlines Chief Operating Officer Jason Berry said Wilson had "jumped the gun."

Travel Oregon, a semi-independent state agency funded by a 1.5% tax on hotels and lodging, also awarded $500,000 to the Corvallis School District to upgrade the Osborn Aquatic Center. Guidelines for the next competitive grant cycle will be published in November, with awards in June 2027.