46.02 Million Traveled Abroad: First Half Sees Record-High International Passenger Numbers

1. 1.52 Million Increase for China, 1.2 Million for Japan
2. 36.11 Million Passengers Used Incheon Airport

In the first half of the year, the number of international airline passengers at domestic airports surpassed 46 million, setting a new record for the highest figure ever recorded for the first half of any year.

According to combined aviation statistics from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Incheon International Airport Corporation, and Korea Airports Corporation, a total of 46,029,842 people used international flights operated by both domestic and foreign airlines departing from or arriving at domestic airports between January and June this year.

This represents a 7.6% increase compared to the first half of last year (approximately 42.77 million), and it is about 470,000 (1%) higher than the previous record for the first half of a year, which was set in 2019 (45.56 million), according to Ministry statistics.

The number of international flights operated also increased by 5.6% year-on-year to 264,253, surpassing the 2019 level of 263,681 flights.

Among individual countries, routes to and from China saw the largest increase. In the first half of the year, approximately 7.81 million people traveled between Korea and China, up by about 1.52 million (24.3%) compared to the same period last year.

The surge in passengers on China routes was significantly influenced by the visa exemption policy for Koreans implemented in November last year. As the number of Chinese tourists visiting Korea continues to recover, the growth is expected to accelerate if the Korean government implements a temporary visa exemption for Chinese group tourists in the third quarter of this year.

Japan was next. Approximately 13.43 million passengers traveled on Korea-Japan routes, an increase of about 1.2 million (9.9%) compared to the same period last year. The prolonged weakness of the Japanese yen has consistently attracted travelers, and the recent expansion of routes by airlines to smaller Japanese cities has contributed to increased demand for repeat visits, further boosting the popularity of these routes.

International passenger numbers also generally increased on long-haul routes, including the Americas (about 3.32 million, up 7.8% year-on-year), Europe (2.25 million, up 3%), and the Middle East (530,000, up 5.2%).

By airport, Incheon International Airport handled approximately 36.11 million international passengers, while the remaining six international airports (Gimpo, Gimhae, Jeju, Cheongju, Daegu, and Yangyang) saw a combined total of about 9.91 million international passengers boarding or disembarking.

Compared to the same period last year, international passenger numbers at Incheon International Airport increased by 6.1%. At the five regional international airports, passenger numbers also rose: Gimpo (2.13 million, up 11.9%), Gimhae (4.92 million, up 14.9%), Jeju (1.34 million, up 19.6%), Cheongju (780,000, up 9.4%), and Daegu (710,000, up 5.8%). However, at Yangyang Airport, the number of passengers decreased by 13.7%, from 6,963 to 6,007.

Muan International Airport, which handled about 190,000 passengers in the first half of last year, had no passengers this year as it has remained closed since a passenger aircraft accident at the end of last year.

An airline industry official stated, "The normalization of overseas travel, especially to China and Japan, along with increased supply, led to record-breaking demand for international flights in the first half of the year," adding, "We expect the growth trend in demand to continue into the second half, supported by stable exchange rates and oil prices."