Jeju Air said on the 8th that the number of passengers on its Japan routes in November topped 380,000, marking the highest monthly passenger count on record.
Jeju Air carried about 382,000 passengers on Japan routes in November. That is about 51,000 more than about 331,000 in November last year, and about a 10% increase from about 348,000 in December last year, which had the highest monthly passenger count last year.
By route, Osaka carried the most passengers with about 121,500, followed by Tokyo with about 67,600 and Fukuoka with about 64,900.
Quarterly passenger totals on Japan routes have continued to rise, from about 916,000 in the first quarter to about 938,000 in the second quarter and about 1,016,000 in the third quarter. The fourth quarter is expected to reach about 1,147,000.
Jeju Air cited the weak yen against the dollar, a preference for short-haul overseas trips, a recovery in demand for Japan travel that had been dampened by earthquake rumors last summer, and increased seat supply as reasons for the rise in passengers on Japan routes.
Jeju Air increased its Incheon–Osaka service to seven flights a day starting in Oct., making it the most frequent operator among airlines flying between Korea and Japan. As of Dec., it operates 17 Japan routes: ▲ Incheon–Tokyo (Narita), Osaka, Fukuoka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Okinawa, Hakodate, Matsuyama, Shizuoka, Oita, Hiroshima, Kagoshima ▲ Gimpo–Osaka ▲ Busan–Tokyo (Narita), Osaka, Sapporo, Fukuoka.
Jeju Air expects the popularity of Japan routes to continue in Dec., the peak winter travel season. Through Feb. next year, during the winter break, Japan was the most selected destination among family travelers booked with Jeju Air.
Osaka, Fukuoka and Tokyo ranked first to third, and smaller Japanese cities were also popular. Compared with Dec. 2023–Feb. 2024, the number of booked passengers under age 20, including infants and children, increased 3.7 times for Hiroshima, 2.7 times for Shizuoka, and 1.7 times for Matsuyama.