The monthly number of air passengers traveling on routes to China surpassed one million for the first time in four years in February. 

It marks the first time the monthly figure exceeded one million mark since January 2020, right before the government announced social distancing measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to data by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Tuesday, the total number of the nation's international air passengers reached seven-point-17 million last month, with 14-point-one percent or one million 18-thousand of them traveling on routes to China. 

The figure marks a nearly ten-fold increase from a year earlier. 

Air passengers traveling from Korea to China accounted for a monthly average of three-point-three percent of the number of international air passengers in 2022, but the figure increased to between ten and 13 percent after June last year. 

Amid a steady rise in travelers to China, major airlines such as Korean Air and Asiana Airlines are seeking to resume and add flights on routes to China.