{
  "id": 9896519,
  "title": "Number of int'l flight passengers up 10 pct this year despite hikes in oil prices",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/number-of-intl-flight-passengers-up-10-pct-this-year-despite-hikes-in",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-26T02:46:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yonhap News",
    "slug": "yonhap-news",
    "url": "https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260926001100315"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "International flight passengers visiting South Korean airports increased by around 10 percent in the first eight months of the year compared to the same period last year, despite rising oil prices, data revealed on Saturday. In total, 68.44 million people utilized international flights during this period, marking a 9.8 percent year-on-year increase, according to figures from South Korea's transportation ministry airport portal system.\n\nExperts attributed the surge in demand to the weakened yen and China's visa-free program for Korean nationals, which boosted interest in flights to and from Japan and China. Incheon International Airport, South Korea's primary international transit hub, saw a rise in travelers as well. The number of passengers using routes linking South Korea and Japan climbed 20.3 percent year-on-year to 21.3 million, while the number of travelers on China-bound flights rose by 23 percent to 13.6 million.\n\nConversely, passenger numbers on flights to and from Southeast Asian nations dropped significantly. Flights connecting South Korea and Vietnam saw a 5.1 percent year-on-year decline to 6.63 million passengers, while routes to the Philippines decreased by 13.7 percent to 2.5 million. Industry observers suggested that the higher fuel charges, driven by oil price hikes, led many travelers to opt for shorter flights to Japan and China, which typically last one to three hours, over longer flights to Southeast Asia, which often span four to six hours.",
  "summary": "SEOUL, Sept. 26 (Yonhap) -- The number of international flight passengers using ...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Number of int'l flight passengers up 10% this year despite hikes in oil prices",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/number-of-intl-flight-passengers-up-10-this-year-despite-hikes-in-oil",
        "published": "2026-09-26T03:27:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}