South Korea's fair trade regulator said Wednesday the number of consumer complaints regarding flight tickets more than doubled on-year in the first half of 2023 amid recovering demand for global travel.

The number of such airline complaints filed to authorities reached 834 over the January-June period, rising sharply from the 305 cases tallied a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Fair Trade Commission and the Korea Consumer Agency.

The increase came in line with the rebound in overseas trips, with the number of travelers at Incheon International Airport, the country's main gateway west of Seoul, reaching 24.4 million in the first half, rising from just 3.93 million tallied a year earlier.

Nearly 68 percent of such consumer complaints, meanwhile, were related to tickets purchased through travel agencies.

The FTC said it is currently seeking to revise unfair clauses in travel agencies' terms, including those that prohibit refunds after business hours or on holidays, even though consumers are permitted to purchase tickets during that time. (Yonhap)