Impact of COVID-19... Traffic Volume Decrease
International Flights Down 66%, Domestic Flights Down 10%
Busiest Route is 'Seoul-Jeju'
[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] Last year, the volume of air traffic using South Korea's airspace was recorded at 421,000 flights, a 50% decrease compared to 2019. The average daily traffic volume was 1,151 flights.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) compiled these statistics based on flight plans submitted by aircraft operators to the Ministry's Air Traffic Headquarters and released the data on the 24th.
The highest monthly traffic volume last year was 72,000 flights in January, before the outbreak of COVID-19, and the highest daily traffic volume was 2,464 flights on Friday, January 10.
The lowest daily traffic volume was 393 flights on September 7, affected by Typhoon Haishen.
Monthly Air Traffic Volume from 2019 to 2020 (Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)
Looking at international and domestic traffic volumes, international flights operated 200,000 flights, a sharp 66.4% decrease from the previous year, averaging 546 flights per day. Domestic flights totaled 221,000 flights, a 10.4% decrease from the previous year, averaging 302 flights per day.
Among international traffic, airspace transit flights passing through South Korea's airspace en route to other countries totaled 18,000 flights (48 flights per day), a 69.3% decrease compared to the previous year.
Monthly international traffic volume sharply decreased from January to March last year due to COVID-19 but slightly increased after April. However, monthly domestic traffic volume showed significant fluctuations depending on the spread of COVID-19.
Traffic volume decreased in March, September, and December when COVID-19 spread rapidly, but in July, August, October, and November, when the spread somewhat eased, traffic volume recovered to levels above those of previous years.
The busiest air route segment in South Korea's airspace is the "Seoul-Jeju" route. It was used by 163,855 flights annually, accounting for 39% of the total. However, this represents a 47.5% decrease compared to the previous year (312,389 flights).
The most frequently used flight altitudes on the "Seoul-Jeju" route are 38,000 feet (11.5 km above ground) for international flights and 27,000 feet (8.2 km above ground) for domestic flights.
Lee Rang, Director of the Air Traffic Division at MOLIT, said, "Although uncertainties remain high this year, there is a possibility of early recovery in air traffic volume depending on vaccination progress. We will continuously monitor air traffic volume and thoroughly prepare for increased traffic by providing pre-training for air traffic controllers and other readiness measures."
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