Hong Kong-Taipei is the busiest international route, according to a report released on Tuesday by aviation intelligence firm OAG.
According to statistics, although the route’s seat capacity is still 15% below pre-pandemic levels, the route last held this position in 2019. Report of the Attorney General’s Office.
Seven of the world’s 10 busiest international routes are in the Asia-Pacific region, but seat capacity on many of these routes has still not returned to 2019 levels.
However, two routes on the list (both in the Middle East) have seen significant growth since 2019. The second busiest route is Cairo to Jeddah, with about 5.5 million available seats, 62% above 2019 levels, according to OAG.
The third busiest route – Seoul Incheon to Tokyo Narita – also saw significant growth (68%) from pre-pandemic levels. Several factors could explain why, said John Grant, principal analyst at OAG.
“First of all, because China’s international market is still slowly recovering, airlines have to allocate aircraft to other markets. And Japan is a very popular destination at the moment,” he said. “On top of that… a number of new airlines have entered the market, including airlines such as Eastern Star and Japan Airlines. Finally… Haneda Airport is actually at capacity, so new capacity must not Not going to Narita Airport.”
The route connecting Kuala Lumpur and Singapore was the busiest international route in 2023 and has now risen to fourth place, with seat numbers down 3% from 2019 levels. Bangkok to Hong Kong is the seventh busiest route and has not yet fully recovered, with capacity still lagging behind 13% of pre-epidemic levels.
New York-JFK to London-Heathrow is the only route in the top ten that reaches North America and Europe. Seat capacity on the route increased by 3% last year to 4 million seats, according to OAG.
Flights from Latin America didn’t make the top 10, but OAG said the region’s busiest international route is between Orlando, Florida, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, with 2.3 million seats.
busiest domestic routes
In terms of reserved seats, domestic routes are far busier than international routes.
The world’s busiest air route is in South Korea, connecting Seoul and Jeju Island. According to OAG, there will be approximately 14.2 million seats on the route by 2024, equivalent to approximately 39,000 seats per day.
The company said this was despite capacity on the route remaining 19% below pre-pandemic levels.
According to the report, 9 of the 10 busiest domestic routes in 2024 will be in the Asia-Pacific region.
The route connecting Hokkaido and Tokyo ranks second, followed by another Japanese route – a route connecting Fukuoka City and Haneda, Tokyo.
China’s busiest route connects its two largest cities – Beijing to Shanghai – with about 7.7 million seats, just ahead of the 7 million between Guangzhou and Shanghai.
Seat counts on the latter route are down from 2023 levels, according to OAG, which Grant described as a “realignment” of the 2019 schedule.
“During the epidemic, local Chinese airlines shifted international capacity to domestic flights, and this route saw significant growth,” he said. “As Chinese airlines slowly resume more international services, what we are now seeing is a realignment of capacity. to a more normal level.”
The largest increase on the list was in Saudi Arabia, where the number of seats on the route connecting Jeddah and Riyadh increased by 9% compared to 2019.
Busiest domestic routes by region
Africa’s busiest route connects Cape Town, South Africa, to Johannesburg (5 million seats), while Europe’s busiest route is Barcelona, Spain, to Mallorca (2.9 million seats).
The busiest route in the United States connects Atlanta and Orlando (3.5 million seats), but the busiest route in North America is Canada’s route connecting Vancouver and Toronto (3,498,835 seats).
