Transit passengers up 18.4% from last year

Chinese travelers account for 27,200, the largest share

A Jejuair Boeing 737-8 aircraft. [Provided by Jejuair]
A Jejuair Boeing 737-8 aircraft. [Provided by Jejuair]

Jejuair said Tuesday that its international transit passenger count has surpassed 100,000 so far this year. One in four transit passengers held Chinese nationality, with most connecting through Incheon to Japan and other destinations.

The carrier handled about 106,600 international transit passengers from January through July, an 18.4 percent increase from roughly 90,000 during the same period last year.

Chinese transit passengers posted the sharpest growth, surging 74.3 percent to about 27,200 from roughly 15,600 last year. Japanese transit passengers rose 41.9 percent to about 17,600, up from around 12,400 a year earlier.

By nationality, Chinese travelers made up the largest share at 25.5 percent — roughly one in four — of all international transit passengers on Jejuair this year. Japanese travelers followed at 16.5 percent, with Mongolians at 11.9 percent, Filipinos at 8.2 percent and Americans at 7.2 percent.

Chinese transit passengers primarily used South Korea as a stopover en route to Japanese cities including Osaka, Tokyo (Narita) and Fukuoka, as well as Saipan. Japanese transit passengers connected through South Korea to Southeast Asian destinations such as Cebu in the Philippines, Hanoi in Vietnam and Bangkok in Thailand, as well as to China. Mongolian transit passengers routed through South Korea to Tokyo (Narita) and Osaka in Japan, and to Nha Trang and Phu Quoc in Vietnam.

Jejuair attributed the growth to its dense route network — spanning both Incheon and regional airports — and improved transit convenience. On China routes, the airline operates not only Incheon-based services but also regional departures including Busan to Shanghai (Pudong), Shijiazhuang and Zhangjiajie, as well as Jeju to Beijing (Capital and Daxing).

On Japan routes, Jejuair connects passengers to major cities such as Tokyo (Narita), Osaka and Fukuoka, as well as smaller regional cities including Hiroshima, Matsuyama and Kobe. For Mongolia, the airline operates Ulaanbaatar routes from both Incheon and Busan simultaneously.

Jejuair has also built 21 interline partnerships — the most among domestic low-cost carriers — allowing passengers to book a single itinerary connecting to destinations in Europe and the Americas. An interline arrangement is a commercial agreement under which different airlines sell and operate connecting journeys on a single ticket.

The airline currently operates 60 routes in total: seven domestic and 53 international, covering Japan, Greater China, Mongolia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.

"We are strengthening transit convenience through a solid route network and interline cooperation with global carriers," a Jejuair official said. "We will further enhance our international competitiveness through flexible operations tailored to diverse routes and market demand."

Meanwhile, Jejuair has also been actively expanding its workforce to improve passenger service, recently launching an open recruitment drive for new cabin crew members in the second half of the year.


eyre@heraldcorp.com