South Korea's international air passenger traffic gains 4.6%

South Korea's international air passenger traffic grew nearly 5 percent year-on-year in November on increased tourism to and from China and Europe, the government said Sunday. The number of international passengers to and from South Korea reached 4 million last month, up 4.6 percent from a year earlier and the highest ever for the month of November, YONHAP News Agency said, quoting the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The ministry attributed the increase to a growing number of tourists to and from China and European countries, which jumped 12.3 percent and 10.1 percent year-on-year, respectively. The number of passengers travelling between Japan and Korea, on the other hand, dropped 6.9 percent, due mainly to a widespread radiation scare following the nuclear accident at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant in March 2011. Of all passengers to and from South Korea, 65.6 percent used flights by South Korean flag carriers, with the combined market share of the country's low-cost carriers reaching 9.9 percent. The number of domestic passengers rose 7.3 percent to 1.9 million in November. International cargo traffic also climbed 3.9 percent year-on-year to 286,000 tons last month on increased exports with the amount of trans-shipment cargo processed at Incheon International Airport, the country's largest airport and a main gateway to the capital city of Seoul, edging up 1.2 percent to 97,000 tons, according to the ministry.