Data released recently shows a significant surge in air travel within South Korea for the year 2024, as passenger numbers almost returned to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.

According to the South Korean news agency Yonhap, passenger traffic at South Korean airports surpassed 120 million in 2024.

This marks a 19.5% increase from approximately 100.5 million travelers recorded in 2023.

The latest figures represent 95.3% of the all-time high of 123.36 million passengers seen in 2019.

The aviation industry had plummeted to merely 29.5% of that 2019 record in the year 2020 as a direct consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the globe.

However, a notable recovery was observed by 2023, reaching 81.5% of pre-pandemic levels.

A significant driver for the considerable increase over the past year has been the spike in international travel.

The number of international passengers to and from South Korea surged by 30.2% year-on-year, reaching around 88.9 million.

In the same timeframe, domestic passenger numbers also rose by 3.3%, totaling 31.13 million.

This increase in air travel highlights an era of renewed confidence among travelers and the aviation industry's capacity to adapt to rapidly changing global dynamics.

These statistics underscore the growth trends in Asia's aviation sector as many of the region's economies recover from the pandemic's impact.