The number of air passengers flying through Korea rose to a record high in 2016 with high growth in both domestic and international air travel, according to the Transport Ministry on Monday.

Last year, there were a total of 103.9 million journeys by air in Korea. 

Domestic travel rose 10.5 percent on-year to 30.9 million trips, while international travel rose 18.8 percent to 73 million.

The Transport Ministry said that the large increases on the previous year were due to expanded routes serviced by low-cost carriers, low ticket prices thanks to zero fuel surcharges, rising numbers of inbound tourists and a low base effect coming from the Middle East respiratory syndrome crisis in 2015.

Of the 73 million international journeys, 17.1 million were on low-cost carriers. The routes with the largest increases in passenger numbers were also shorter flights often serviced by low-cost carriers, such as those to Japan, China, and Southeast Asia.

Overall, low-cost carriers grew 59.5 percent on-year in passenger numbers, carrying 19.6 percent of all passengers, according to the ministry. 

By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)