Invest KOREA

 South Korea's air traffic grew nearly 5 percent in February from a year earlier as the economic recovery bolstered flights for passengers and cargo shipment, the transportation ministry said Tuesday.

   The number of airplanes flying in and out of local airports plus those using the nation's air routes came to 38,070 last month, up 4.8 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs.

   The increase came as the number of flights grew despite high oil prices, driven by the overall economic rebound, the ministry said. Increased traffic through budget carriers also played a role, it noted.

   South Korea's largest airport, Incheon International Airport, saw its air traffic jump 9.1 percent on-year last month. Airports in Gimpo and Jeju Island posted 0.7 percent and 0.4 percent gains each over the same period, the ministry said.

Source: Yonhap News (March 15, 2011)