Air travel between Korea and Japan up more than 20% despite earthquake warning

Air travelers between Korea and Japan have increased by 20.8 percent on year so far this month, despite an earthquake warning issued in the neighboring country.

Travelers wait in line at airline counters at Incheon International Airport. [YONHAP]

Air travelers between Korea and Japan have increased by 20.8 percent on year so far this month, despite an earthquake warning issued in the neighboring country.

The number of air travelers between the two countries from Aug. 1 through Tuesday totaled around 1.38 million, data from major airport operators showed Friday.

The tally marks a 20.8 percent on-year increase, and a 6.3 percent rise compared to the previous month.

A major earthquake alert issued in Japan following a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Miyazaki Prefecture earlier this month did not significantly impact the number of passengers on Japanese routes.

From the Liberation Day holiday on Aug. 15 to last Sunday, 269,000 people traveled on Japanese routes, up 21.4 percent from last year, even with the cancellation of dozens of flights due to a typhoon.

"Given the ongoing weakness of the yen and the availability of affordable flight tickets, primarily offered by low-cost carriers, travel demand to Japan is anticipated to persist for the foreseeable future," said an air travel industry watcher.

BY YOON SEUNG-JIN, YONHAP [yoon.seungjin@joongang.co.kr]