Air Busan Reports Over Fourfold Increase in Passengers on Busan-Japan Routes Compared to Previous Month

Air Busan A321neo(LR) aircraft.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Du-yeol] The number of passengers on Air Busan's routes from Busan to Japan in October increased more than fourfold compared to September, indicating that travel to Japan is gaining momentum following the resumption of visa-free entry.

According to Air Busan, the cumulative number of passengers on the three Japan routes operating from Gimhae Airport?Busan-Fukuoka, Osaka, and Narita?reached 30,110 in October, more than four times the 7,398 passengers recorded in September.

By route, the Busan-Fukuoka route showed the highest growth, with passengers increasing more than fivefold from 2,728 in September to 14,572 in October. The Busan-Osaka route also saw a more than threefold increase, from 4,670 in September to 14,791 in October.

The Busan-Narita route operated only four irregular flights during the BTS concert period in Busan in October.

The three Japan routes departing from Incheon Airport?Fukuoka, Osaka, and Narita?also contributed to the increase in passengers using Japan routes in October, recording 20,624 passengers compared to 17,459 in September.

This increase in passengers on Japan routes is analyzed to be positively influenced by the Japanese government's visa-free entry allowance and the weak yen phenomenon.

The Japanese government resumed visa-free entry for South Koreans from the 11th of last month. This is the first time in two years and seven months since March 9, 2020.

With the visa-free allowance, Koreans can stay in Japan for up to 90 days for tourism, visiting relatives, and other purposes without a visa, just as before the COVID-19 pandemic.

In fact, the average daily number of passengers on Air Busan's Japan routes from October 1 to 10, before visa-free entry was allowed, was about 110. However, from October 11 to 31, after visa-free entry was permitted, the average daily number of passengers rose to 436, indicating that visa-free entry is a major factor in the increase of travelers to Japan.

In response to this trend, Air Busan is significantly expanding its Japan routes.

The Busan-Fukuoka route increased to three flights daily starting from the 30th of last month, and plans to increase to four flights daily from December 8.

The Busan-Sapporo and Busan-Narita routes will also resume daily round-trip flights. From the 30th of last month, flights on the Osaka and Narita routes from Incheon Airport were increased to twice daily, and the Fukuoka route was also increased to one daily round-trip flight.

An Air Busan official said, “Due to the Japanese visa-free entry allowance and the weak yen, the number of travelers to Japan has shown a clear increase compared to September. We will capture travelers' hearts with Air Busan's unmatched schedule competitiveness and differentiated service.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.