This undated file photo provided by Korean Air Co. shows one of its passenger aircraft. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of international travelers on South Korean air carriers during the third quarter reached 85 percent of the level before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to government data Thursday.
According to the transportation ministry data, international passengers on South Korean airlines during the July-September period totaled 12.87 million, compared with 15.15 million tallied in the same period in 2019.
The figure is a sign of steady recovery in the air travel industry following the prolonged disruption since the pandemic, representing an over threefold increase from that of the July-September period in 2022.
Compared with 2019, domestic airlines in the first half of the year logged a 66-percent recovery in terms of their combined international passengers.
Industry watchers attributed the growth to the expansion of flights to the neighboring countries of Japan and China, and to the Southeast Asian nations by low-cost carriers.
(Yonhap)
