Yeosu Airport Maintains Growth Despite Nationwide Decline in Domestic Air Traffic

14,302 flights, up 1.3% year-on-year
Full-fledged push for upgrade to international airport

Yeosu City in South Jeolla Province announced that Yeosu Airport has maintained an upward trend in air traffic, despite a nationwide decline in domestic air traffic.

According to the "2025 Air Traffic Volume Statistics" released by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on February 19, nationwide air traffic surpassed 1 million flights for the first time ever, marking a 6.8% increase from the previous year. While international flights drove the overall increase, domestic flights decreased by 1.6%, showing a contrasting trend.

Despite a nationwide decline in domestic air traffic volume, Yeosu Airport has maintained an upward trend. Provided by Yeosu City.

Even under these conditions, Yeosu Airport handled a total of 14,302 flights last year, an average of 39 flights per day, up 1.3% from the previous year. Although it is an airport focused on domestic routes, it has continued to grow contrary to the nationwide downward trend, thereby confirming both a stable operational foundation and growth potential as a regional hub airport.

Currently, Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, and Jin Air operate two domestic routes serving Gimpo and Jeju.

However, even though international air traffic in Korea has been recovering and expanding rapidly since COVID-19, Yeosu Airport has been unable to operate international flights due to policy and facility constraints, and therefore has not benefited at all from the increase in demand.

In response, Yeosu City is pursuing the extension of the current 2,100-meter runway to 3,200 meters and the upgrade of the airport to an international airport, in order to respond to the medium- to long-term growth trend in global air travel demand. To this end, the city has been continuously submitting proposals to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and South Jeolla Province, and plans to work closely with the relevant agencies.

A city official stated, "It is a meaningful achievement that Yeosu Airport has maintained growth despite the challenging conditions in the domestic aviation market," adding, "We will continue to actively respond so that the airport can grow into a key hub airport on the southern coast by stabilizing domestic routes and pushing for its upgrade to an international airport."

Meanwhile, to ensure aviation safety at Yeosu Airport, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport completed the removal of a concrete mound and improvements to azimuth guidance facilities last year, and this year plans to promote projects to install a bird-detection radar and expand the runway end safety area.