The annual number of people traveling via South Korean airline companies has surpassed 100 million for the first time since the country began to provide services in 1948.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Monday, the number of passengers using South Korean airlines this year is expected to reach 103-point-79 million.

The 100-million milestone can be reached when a fully occupied 190-seat B737 plane flies one-thousand-442 times per day.

The ministry said an average of one-thousand-727 airplanes have been operated daily this year.

The ministry said around 70 percent of the passengers of local airlines this year, or nearly 73 million, used or will use international routes while the other 31 million are domestic services users.

The South Korean airline industry has posted an average of ten percent annual growth each year. The number of customers using local airlines surpassed ten million in 1987 and 50 million in 2007.