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(Photo= Yonhap news) |
[Alpha Biz= Reporter Kim Jisun] In the first half of this year, the number of international passengers using South Korean low-cost carriers (LCCs) surpassed those using both major full-service carriers (FSCs) and foreign airlines.
According to aviation statistics from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport on the 22nd, the total number of international passengers from January to June this year was 42,778,330. Of these, the international passengers using the nine domestic LCCs totaled 15,261,591, accounting for 35.6% of the total.
This figure exceeds the combined international passengers of Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, which was 14,158,056 (33.1%), by approximately 1.1 million. It also surpasses the number of passengers using foreign airlines, which was 13,358,683 (31.2%), by nearly 2 million.
For the first time last year, the number of international passengers using domestic LCCs surpassed those using major airlines.
The market share of LCCs for international flights was in the 10% range from 2014 to 2016, then increased to 26.4% in 2017 and 29.5% in 2019.
The share fell to 25% in 2020 due to the direct impact of COVID-19 and plummeted to 6.5% in 2021 when international flights were largely suspended.
However, as international travel started to reopen in 2022, LCCs aggressively expanded their routes, increasing their market share to 23.1% in 2022 and reaching 49.3% last year.
While major airlines like Korean Air and Asiana Airlines focused on long-haul routes and the cargo market, which are more profitable, LCCs concentrated on short-haul routes to Japan, China, and Vietnam. This strategic focus is cited as the reason for the reversal in passenger numbers.
Additionally, the delayed recovery of routes to China, where major airlines previously held dominance, also contributed to the shift in the proportion of international passengers.
AlphaBIZ Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
