Jeju Air (089590.KS) has carried 10 million passengers so far this year, reaching the mark in the shortest time in its history.
The airline said on the 12th that it flew 10,128,500 passengers from January through September, including 3,642,300 on domestic routes and 6,486,200 on international routes. That marks a 13.1% increase from 8,955,900 in the same period a year earlier.
Jeju Air said it set two records at once: the fastest run to 10 million passengers and its highest January-September passenger count ever. It is the only Korean low-cost carrier to pass the 10 million mark this year.
Growth was driven by rising traffic on Japanese and Chinese routes. Passengers on Japan routes totaled 3,703,200 in the first nine months, up 29.1% from 2,869,500 a year earlier, while China routes carried 582,400 passengers, a 34.1% increase from the same period last year.
Incheon-Osaka was the busiest route with 633,600 passengers, followed by Incheon-Tokyo Narita with 618,700, Incheon-Fukuoka with 448,100 and Busan-Osaka with 212,000.
"With high oil prices and a weak won adding to travel costs, demand appears to have shifted toward short- and medium-haul routes that offer relatively reasonable fares," a Jeju Air official said. "Next year we plan to watch market demand closely and keep expanding customer options through efficient route operations."