The number of international travelers via Incheon International Airport dropped 1.6 percent to 2.65 million in December from 2.69 million a month earlier, due partly to North Korea’s attack on Yeonpyeong Island on Nov. 23, according to the operator of Korea’s main gateway to the outside world, Friday.
December is one of the busiest months at airports, along with July and August, as a large number of Koreans and other nationals take trips during the vacation period. Normally, the number of air passengers increases sharply in December from November.
However, the North’s attack on Yeonpyeong heightened geopolitical tension on the Korean Peninsula, making foreigners reluctant to come here.
According to the Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC), the number of outbound travelers rose 0.3 percent in December from the previous month. But that of inbound travelers fell 3.5 percent to 1.3 million over the same period, while transit passengers at the airport dropped 4.7 percent to 390,000.
“A total of 33 million people went through our airport last year, the largest number ever. But in December, the number of air passengers inched down temporarily because of the attack. Yet we are positive that even larger numbers of Koreans and foreigners will use the airport this year,” an IIAC official said.
Korean Air, Korea’s largest flagship carrier, transported 1.01 million passengers in December, down 3.5 percent from a month earlier. The other flagship carrier, Asiana Airlines, also saw its passengers decline 5.5 percent to 692,000.