The number of passengers using Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, fell to the lowest level ever on Monday due to coronavirus concerns, its operator said.
Incheon International Airport Corp. said the number is estimated to total 21,241 -- 11,335 outbound and 9,906 inbound.
It is lower than the previous record low of 26,773, registered on May 20, 2003, when international travel was hit by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrom.
The figure is also one-ninth of 2018's daily average of 187,000.
The decline came as South Korea and Japan began to enforce tougher travel restrictions on each other on the day.
Based on reservation data, the airport operator estimated 318 people will travel on the day between the two countries via the airport. It is only 0.86 percent of the 2018 average, and the actual number is expected to be lower.
In the morning, only eight passengers, all foreigners, were aboard a Korean Air flight that left Incheon for Japan's Osaka, while the company expected 66 passengers to board. A Korean Air flight that arrived in Incheon from Osaka carried only 25, fewer than originally estimated 33. (Yonhap)