South Korea's international air passenger traffic posted 22.6 percent growth last month to reach the largest-ever figure for the month of April, thanks mainly to increased holiday travel, the government said Monday.

The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said the number of international air passengers stood at 3.75 million last month, marking the highest number for the month of April. The previous record of 3.07 million was set in April last year.

The ministry said holidays in April, such as China's Labor Day holidays and Golden Week in Japan, boosted demand for air travel in and out of South Korea.

Passenger traffic on Japanese routes posted the biggest gain with an increase of 52.2 percent. The ministry added that traffic to Oceania and Southeast Asia rose 24.1 percent and 21.6 percent, respectively, with the number for China gaining 3.2 percent. Meanwhile, the volume of air cargo handled by South Korea's airports declined 3.1 percent to 284,000 tons over the cited period due to sluggish economic conditions in the European Union and uncertainties on foreign exchange rates and global oil prices, according to the ministry.