South Korea’s LCCs rule the skies, exceeding Asia-Pacific Average

The seating proportion of low-cost carriers (LCCs) in South Korea’s aviation market has far surpassed the average of the Asia-Pacific region, according to an industry report, reflecting the popularity of budget airlines in the country.

According to the analysis report by aviation market tracker Center for Aviation, LCCs accounted for 45.7 percent of systemwide seats in South Korea, significantly higher than the average 32.1 percent for the Asia-Pacific region as of the second week of January.

The LCC seat proportion for international flights from South Korea came to 41.1 percent in 2024, up from 15.4 percent in 2015 and 36.5 percent in 2019, the report showed.

Domestic flights have seen similar growth, with LCCs representing 58.5 percent of seats in 2024, compared with 54.3 percent in 2019.

According to the report, Jeju Air, the country’s largest LCC, accounted for 11.1 percent of overall systemwide seats, ranking third only after the country’s two full-service flag carriers: Korean Air and Asiana Airlines.

Source: The Korea Bizwire