LUTON, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OAG, the global leader in flight information, has released its latest report, OAG Busiest Routes, which ranks the world’s busiest international routes for operating flight volume. The data highlights key characteristics for each route, including size, growth rates, market share, the type of aircraft and on-time performance (OTP) of carriers that service each route, and how passengers use each route for subsequent connections. The results are pulled from aviation data between March 1, 2017 and February 28, 2018.
The busiest route in the world is from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Singapore (SIN), which serviced 30,537 flights over the twelve-month period. The trip from Hong Kong (HKG) to Taipei (TPE) followed closely behind, finishing second overall. In Europe, the routes from Dublin (DUB) and Amsterdam (AMS) to London Heathrow (LHR) were the busiest, ranking 14th and 19th, respectively.
“These airline routes are among the most competitive in the world. Given the demand, frequency and consumer choice on these routes, airlines are investing heavily to maximize capacity, profitability and market share,” said John Grant, senior analyst with OAG. “Frequency, OTP, connectivity and the in-flight experience all play a critical role in the battle to lead these markets.”
Aer Lingus is the most punctual airline on the route from Dublin (DUB) to London Heathrow (LHR), with 84.7 percent OTP. London is the final destination for 50 percent of passengers on this route, while the other half travel onward to other cities, most commonly Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), New York (JFK), Lagos, Nigeria (LOS) and Hong Kong (HKG). For passengers travelling west from London to Dublin, the top five connecting destinations are all located in the United States: Chicago (ORD), Boston (BOS), New York (JFK), Washington (IAD) and Newark (EWR).
On the route from Amsterdam (AMS) to London (LHR), which is serviced by KLM-Royal Dutch Airlines (77 percent OTP) and British Airways (72 percent OTP), 61 percent of travellers originating in Amsterdam stay in London, while the other 39 percent connect elsewhere. The route’s top five connecting destinations include New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), Johannesburg (JNB), Miami (MIA) and San Francisco (SFO).
The trip between John F. Kennedy airport and London Heathrow is the 16th busiest international route, and the second most popular route out of the United States, with 13,888 flights serviced over the 12-month period. American Airlines is the most punctual airline on this route, with 77.9 percent OTP, whereas British Airways has the largest market share.
Asia remains home to most of the busiest international routes, with 14 of the top 20 routes operating to and from destinations in this region. Five of the top 20 routes depart from Hong Kong, with service to Taipei (TPE), Shanghai (PVG), Seoul Incheon (ICN), Singapore (SIN) and Beijing (PEK).
To qualify for the on-time performance measurement in this analysis, the OAG schedules data base must have flight status data for at least 80 percent of all recorded flights for an airline or airport. On-time performance (OTP) is defined as flights that arrive or depart in under 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival/departure times. Cancelations are also included.
For more insights on the world’s busiest international routes, download a copy of the full report.
About OAG
OAG is the leading global provider of digital flight information and provides accurate, timely and actionable information and applications across the travel sector to the world’s airlines, airports, government agencies, aircraft manufacturers, consultancies and travel related companies.
OAG has the world’s largest network of air travel data, including the definitive schedules database of more than 900 airlines and over 4,000 airports. With the most extensive flight status information database in the market, OAG handles more than 57 million records of flight status updates per year, processes 1.4 billion requests and continues to deliver in excess of 35 million dynamic flight status updates daily.
For more information, visit: www.oag.com and follow us on Twitter @OAG Aviation.
