Korea’s international air passenger traffic reached an all-time high in 2011, fueled by foreign visitors and transit travelers using local airports, the government said Tuesday.

The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said 42.65 million people took international flights coming into and leaving the country in 2011, up 6.5 percent from a year earlier. Of the total, 5.66 million people were transit travelers, a gain of 6.5 percent vis-a-vis 2010.

It said traffic to Southeast Asia and Oceania rose 18.4 percent and 15.2 percent, respectively, with the number for Europe gaining 10.5 percent.

“Only air traffic connecting the country with Japan declined 7.3 percent on-year, reflecting concerns expressed by travelers over the release of radioactive materials into the island nation’s environment,” an official source said.

Japan suffered a massive earthquake and tsunami on March 11 that crippled the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

The latest findings showed South Korea’s two major flag carriers Korean Air and Asiana handling 66 percent of passengers, with the share of local budget carriers reaching 4.3 percent.

The ministry, meanwhile, said international air cargo handled by local airports contracted 1.9 percent on-year to 3.52 million tons. The drop is the result of less demand for locally made semiconductors and information technology equipment.

For 2012, Seoul expects international air traffic to pick up, helped in part by the country’s hosting of the World Expo in the port city of Yeosu. 

(Yonhap News)