JEJU-DO < invest Korea

According to Yonhap News,

(SEJONG=Yonhap News) South Korea's air passenger traffic jumped to a record high in the first three months of the year on the back of an increase in outbound and inbound travelers and reduced fuel costs, government data showed Tuesday.

The number of people entering and leaving the country by plane reached a record 24.37 million over the January-March period, up 12.4 percent from 21.69 million tallied a year ago, according to the data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

International passengers rose 13.2 percent on-year to 17.6 million, with domestic travelers gaining 10.4 percent to 6.77 million over the cited period.

"Expanded flight routes by budget carriers and low travel costs stemming from falling oil prices boosted appetite for overseas trips, along with rising popularity of Jeju Island among local people," the ministry said.

The number of people on South Korea-Japan routes soared 25.8 percent on-year to 3.87 million in the first quarter thanks to the weak Japanese currency, while flights between South Korea and Southeast Asia carried 6.43 million people, up 11.6 percent from a year ago.

Passengers who flew Korea-China routes last month also climbed 9.3 percent to 4.4 million, the ministry added.

On the domestic side, Jeju Island absorbed 85.5 percent of the total domestic air passengers to see 5.79 million local air travelers over the cited period.

The findings also showed that air cargo, both international and domestic, edged up 0.5 percent on-year to 950,000 tons in the first quarter due mainly to the country's sluggish outbound shipments.

South Korea's exports posted a 13.1 percent on-year drop over the three-month period, with its imports tumbling 16.3 percent on-year.

brk@yna.co.kr

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