Air Busan Surpasses 10,000 Pet Transportations for Two Consecutive Years

Image of a pet wearing an Air Busan pet uniform.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Du-yeol] Air Busan transported 11,747 pets last year, maintaining a record of transporting over 10,000 pets for two consecutive years.

Last year, Air Busan's pet transportation record was 11,747 animals, with the number by route as follows: ▲Busan-Jeju 4,600 ▲Gimpo-Jeju 3,814 ▲Busan-Gimpo 2,002 ▲Ulsan-Jeju 789 ▲Gimpo-Ulsan 460.

Also, as international air routes gradually reopened and demand for overseas travel increased, the number of pets transported on international flights, which was zero in 2021, reached 82 last year.

Pet accompaniment on flights continues to increase with the rise in pet-owning households.

According to Air Busan, the number of pets transported increased by 24% from 6,647 in 2019 to 8,241 in 2020, and in 2021, it recorded 11,000, a 33% increase from the previous year, marking the first time the 10,000-pet transportation era was reached.

About 80% of the total pet transportation occurred on Jeju routes, indicating that traveling to Jeju with pets has become popularized.

As the number of travelers accompanied by pets increases, Air Busan is strengthening pet-related marketing and enhancing its image as a pet-friendly airline.

They have conducted various events such as giving travel kits to passengers traveling with pets through active joint marketing with pet-specialized brands.

Recently, Air Busan released a ‘Pet Uniform’ modeled after the Air Busan cabin crew uniform, which is sold at ‘Shop Air Busan,’ the airline’s logo merchandise store.

An Air Busan official said, “As Air Busan has established itself as the airline that first comes to mind for traveling with pets, the number of pets accompanying passengers per flight continues to increase steadily. We will continue to carry out distinctive marketing to make travel more enjoyable and comfortable for passengers traveling with pets.”

Since 2021, Air Busan has expanded the number of pets allowed to accompany passengers in the cabin from the previous 3 per flight to a maximum of 10 per flight.