The number of travelers flying internationally has outnumbered domestic travelers for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out owing to an increase in the number of flights and a recovery in demand for travel.

According to data by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Sunday, the number of passengers who traveled on international routes from local airports grew eightfold on-year in November to reach nearly three-point-one million, while travelers on domestic routes fell 13 percent to two-point-85 million.

The number of international air passengers began to grow from April when social distancing rules were lifted.

The figure topped one million in June and two million in August before surging beyond two-and-a-half million in October after Japan reinstated its visa-exemption program for South Korea among other countries.

Last month, the number of passengers who flew on Japan-bound routes doubled from October to stand at some 820-thousand, driving the growth in overall international air passengers.

However, the number of international travelers is still less than half of what it was before the pandemic. In November 2019, the number was almost seven million.