The number of flights last year using the nation's airspace surpassed a million for the first time. (Incheon International Airport's official Facebook page)

By Aisylu Akhmetzianova

The number of flights in the country last year surpassed the million mark for the first time.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Feb. 19 said a combined 1,013,830 transport and non-transport aircraft used domestic airspace last year, up 6.8% from 951,934 in 2024.

Thus an average of 2,778 aircraft flew in domestic airspace daily.

The 2025 figure is 20% more than the estimated 840,000 in 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.

The recovery and expansion of international air traffic was cited as the main cause of such growth.

Last year, such traffic in the country rose 9.4% for an average of 2,160 flights per day, with Southeast Asia and southern China routes accounting for about 52% of all international flights.

The number of international transit flights crossing Korean airspace soared 21%. The ministry in a news release said such data showed the country's surging strategic importance as a key aviation hub in Northeast Asia.

aisylu@korea.kr