The number of foreign passengers on international flights using Kansai International Airport surged 55 percent from a year earlier to 1.93 million in the April-September first half, hitting a record high for the six-month period.

The rise was attributable to increased flights by major airlines to China and South Korea and the inauguration of flights by low-cost carriers, according to New Kansai International Airport Co., which runs the airport.

In September, however, the year-on-year growth in the number of foreign passengers slowed to 23 percent to 270,920 due to the tension between Japan and China amid the festering Senkaku Islands dispute.