South Korea's low-cost carriers (LCCs) transported more than half of domestic passengers for the first time last year as more consumers opted for their cheaper and improving flight services for short-distance travel, industry data showed Monday.

According to the data compiled by Jeju Air Co., the country's largest budget carrier, the country's five LCCs provided flight service to a combined 12.49 million passengers on their domestic lines last year, up 16 percent from a year earlier. 

The figure accounted for 51.25 percent of the total domestic passengers including those who used flights by Korean Air Line Co. and Asiana Airlines Inc., the country's No. 1 and No. 2 full-service carriers. 

The ratio was higher than 48.9 percent tallied a year earlier and marked the first time that it has exceeded 50 percent. 

Jeju Air Co., which is owned by Aekyung Industrial Co, transported 3.4 million domestic travelers last year, up 18.9 percent from a year earlier. The figure made up 13.9 percent of the total, the largest among budget carriers.

Air Busan Co., an affiliate of Asiana Airlines, came next by flying 2.85 million passengers or 11.7 percent, followed by Jin Air, the unit of Korean Air, and T'way Airlines with 2.23 million and 2.2 million, respectively, the data showed. Eastar Jet Co. trailed with 1.81 million passengers. 

Korean Air and Asiana Airlines remained dominant leaders, but their shares shrank in the face of competition from smaller carriers.

Korean Air transported 6.66 million domestic passengers last year, down 3.2 percent from a year earlier, with its share standing at 27.3 percent. Asiana Airlines provided domestic flight service to 5.22 million people last year, 21.4 percent of the total. (Yonhap)