Jeju Air tops 60 million passengers as it marks 17 years of international flights

SEOUL, March 20 (AJP) - Short-haul carrier Jeju Air said Friday it has carried over 60 million passengers as it marks the 17th anniversary of launching international routes.

Jeju Air became the first South Korean budget carrier to launch international services, with flights between Incheon and Osaka in March 2009.

Starting with about 159,000 passengers in its first year, Jeju Air continued to expand, reaching a milestone of serving over 1 million passengers in 2012.

By offering more diverse routes to neighboring Japan, China, and Southeast Asian countries in later years, the airline’s cumulative international passengers surpassed 10 million in 2016 and topped 50 million in 2024. As of the end of February this year, its cumulative international passengers stood at about 62.86 million, showing an average annual growth of 27.5 percent.

Jeju Air currently operates some 58 international routes, with destinations in China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

Notably, what started as one daily flight between Incheon and Osaka now operates seven times a day, making Jeju Air the most frequent carrier on the route. The number of passengers has grown nearly eightfold, from 73,000 in 2009 to 574,000 in 2025.

"We have helped make air travel more accessible and affordable for passengers over the past 17 years," a Jeju Air staffer said, adding that the airline will continue to promote “healthy competition” in South Korea's aviation industry.