The number of people who used international flights to and from Narita Airport near Tokyo during the first half of this year has exceeded 10 million for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic.

Airport officials say the total was 11.14 million in January to June, about four times more than the same period last year. But the number was only about 60 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

The number of Japanese travelers quadrupled to more than 2.37 million. Foreign travelers totaled 7.21 million, a tenfold increase from last year.

The number of foreign visitors arriving for sightseeing has grown as restrictions were rolled back step-by-step from October 2022 and the yen has remained weak.

The number of flights to and from China was still less than 60 percent of pre-COVID times.

The airport officials say that Chinese travelers are the key to the recovery for international flights.