South Korea

South Korea’s air passenger traffic faced significant challenges in the first half of 2022 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The number of passengers on domestic and international routes declined by 29 per cent compared to the previous year, reaching 16.67 million. Governments’ imposition of entry restrictions to control the spread of the virus contributed to this decline. International passenger traffic saw a significant plunge of 91 per cent, while domestic passenger traffic experienced a moderate recovery of 46 per cent. Local airlines suspended most international routes, focusing on cargo deals to mitigate the impact of reduced travel demand. The South Korean government has been actively pursuing travel bub-

Korean

ble agreements with destinations like Guam, Singapore, and Saipan to facilitate safe travel for fully vaccinated Koreans. Things improved in the second half of the year and South Korea’s air traffic exhibited a 16 per cent increase in 2022 compared to the previous year, primarily driven by pent-up demand and eased COVID-19 restrictions. Airlines, both domestic and foreign, operated a total of 5,39,788 flights within South Korea, reflecting a recovery from the previous year’s 4,65,469 flights. However, this number still represents 65 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. In recent years, South Korea’s air traffic had been steadily increasing, reaching 8,42,000 flights in 2019, but plummeted to around 4,21,000 flights in 2020 due to the pandemic. The recovery in H2