Jeju Air has become the first Korean low-cost carrier (LCC) to surpass 10 million cumulative passengers this year.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's aviation information portal on October 12, Jeju Air recorded a total of 10,128,559 passengers from January to September this year, comprising 3,642,355 domestic passengers and 6,486,204 international passengers. This marks a 13.1% increase compared to the same period last year, which saw 8,955,957 passengers.
Jeju Air achieved this milestone in the shortest time ever while also recording the highest number of passengers for the January to September period. This success is attributed to the airline's flexible route management, including increased flights and new routes to Japan and China.
In May, Jeju Air expanded its routes from Incheon to Tokyo (Narita) and Fukuoka, as well as from Busan to Osaka. In June, it launched a new route from Incheon to Kobe. In July and August, the airline increased flights on the Incheon to Nagoya and Matsuyama routes to meet summer vacation demand. For its China routes, Jeju Air expanded flights from Incheon to Weihai (March), Yanji (July), and Qingdao (September), and launched a new route from Busan to Guilin in September while resuming operations on the Incheon to Guilin route.
From January to September, the number of passengers on Japan routes increased by 29.1% to approximately 3,703,200, up from about 2,869,500 during the same period last year. Passengers on China routes also rose by 34.1%, reaching approximately 582,400, compared to 434,300 last year.
This year, Jeju Air's average load factor reached 91%. The route with the highest load factor among international flights was Incheon to Tokyo (Narita) at 94.3%, followed by Incheon to Da Nang at 93.4%, Incheon to Fukuoka at 93.2%, Incheon to Qingdao at 93.1%, and Incheon to Nha Trang at 93%.
The most popular route was from Incheon to Osaka, with over 633,600 passengers, followed by Incheon to Tokyo (Narita) with 618,700 passengers, Incheon to Fukuoka with 448,100 passengers, Busan to Osaka with 212,000 passengers, and Incheon to Nagoya with 203,400 passengers.
A representative from Jeju Air stated, "As travel costs have increased due to high oil prices and exchange rates, there is a growing preference for mid-range routes that offer relatively reasonable prices. We plan to closely monitor market demand and continue to expand customer options through efficient route management."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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