The air route to Japan has started to become crowded. As of the 12th, the number of international passengers using Incheon International Airport last month was 4,584,375. This is a 5.06% increase compared to the previous month’s 4,363,453 passengers.
Among them, passengers traveling to Japan numbered 1,075,248. This accounts for 23.45% of the total passengers who boarded flights to and from Japan. The number of passengers to Japan continues to increase. In January, the number of passengers to Japan was 908,268, which rose to 939,872 in April and 1,056,896 in May. In June 2019, the total number of passengers to Japan was 1,138,916. The number of travelers to Japan has increased to a level comparable to the pre-COVID-19 period.
On the other hand, passengers to China did not increase as much as expected. Last month, the total number of passengers was 473,835. This is a 28.95% increase from 367,444 in May, accounting for about 8.0% of the total passengers. Considering that China was once one of the countries most visited by Korean travelers, this is considered below expectations. In June 2019, the number of passengers to China was 1,142,762.
Japan is the single country with the highest number of passengers. The scale of passengers to Japan overwhelms other countries. Last month, the total number of passengers to Southeast Asia (including Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and 10 other countries) was 1,433,252. The Americas (United States, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, and 6 other countries) had 515,409 passengers, Northeast Asia (Taiwan, Macau, Mongolia, Hong Kong) had 408,664, and Europe (United Kingdom, Germany, France, and 23 other countries) had 402,257. The number of passengers to Japan is greater than the combined passenger numbers of most other regions.
As Japan is the country with the highest number of passengers, airlines are expanding their Japan routes by increasing flights or launching new routes. For example, Jin Air will start a new route between Incheon and Nagoya from September. With the addition of Nagoya, Jin Air will connect a total of seven Japanese cities.
Additionally, AirroK will operate the Cheongju-Osaka route, and Jeju Air will begin operating the Incheon-Oita and Incheon-Hiroshima routes, focusing on developing Japan routes. Furthermore, Air Seoul plans to start the Incheon-Tottori route from October, and T’way Air will resume the Incheon-Saga route from September.
This expansion of Japan routes is largely attributed to the weak yen. The average exchange rate for won to yen in the first half of this year was 961.47 won per 100 yen. On the 5th, the closing rate even dropped to 897.29 won.
An airline industry official explained, "Airlines are increasing flights on Japan and Southeast Asia routes to meet the growing demand for medium- and short-distance travel following the COVID-19 endemic," adding, "Due to the weak yen, the perceived cost of traveling to Japan is relatively cheaper, which has led to a greater increase in demand." The official also noted, "Not only major cities but also flights to small and medium-sized cities with unique attractions are increasing."
However, ongoing service issues during the COVID-19 recovery period are identified as areas that need prompt resolution. For example, a recent customer reported that issuing a ticket took more than twice the usual time. This slowdown was caused by the deployment of newly hired staff at Japanese airports. Additionally, there are various consumer complaints related to delayed aircraft departures due to in-flight service issues and maintenance delays.
Professor Hwang Yong-sik of the Department of Business Administration at Sejong University said, “These are problems that can occur during the recovery period after COVID-19,” but added, “If these problems continue, they could cause a loss of trust and credibility in airlines.”
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