Crowded Skies: OAG Reveals the World’s Busiest Routes are in the Asia Pacific

South Korea Jeju (CJU) to Seoul (GMP) is the busiest route on the planet; Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Singapore (SIN) named world’s busiest international route for a second straight year

Key findings:

1. Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Singapore (SIN) is the busiest international route in the world with 30,187 operating flights; KUL features in two of the world’s top five busiest international markets.

2. Incheon (ICN) to Osaka (KIX) grew even busier this year, increasing operating flight volume by 2,223 flights.

3. The world’s busiest route, South Korea Jeju (CJU) to Seoul (GMP), is also one of the shortest, with 79,460 operating flights, followed by Melbourne (MEL) to Sydney (SYD) with 54,102 flights.

4. Thirty percent of the world’s busiest international routes operate from Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), which is featured in six of the top 20 busiest international markets in the world.

5. Singapore (SIN) is the most popular destination for the region’s busiest long-haul routes, with six arriving in SIN.

6. Tokyo (NRT) to Taipei (TPE) is now one of the world’s top 20 busiest international routes, with 13,902 operating flights.

SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OAG, the world’s leading provider of travel data and insight, today revealed the Busiest Routes in the world. OAG’s analysis, which is based on operating flight volume, includes insight into on-time performance (OTP) and carrier frequency at the route level, both domestically and internationally.

Asia Pacific is home to 15 of the top 20 busiest international and 13 of the top 20 busiest domestic routes globally. For a second straight year, Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Singapore (SIN), which operates 30,187 flights annually, is the busiest international route in the world. Following closely behind, Hong Kong (HKG) to Taipei (TPE) was the second busiest international route overall with 28,447 operating flights.

Jakarta (CGK) to Singapore (SIN), Hong Kong (HKG) to Shanghai (PVG) and Jakarta (CGK) to Kuala Lumpur (KUL) round out the world’s top five busiest international routes, likely due to high demand for low-cost carriers, especially those that operate out of Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.

“Asia’s dominance in the world’s busiest routes reflects the region’s tourism growth, particularly within the Great Bay Area,” said Mayur Patel, Head of ASPAC, OAG. “In addition to Hong Kong, which plays a strategic connecting role for many carriers, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta have become Asia’s new ‘golden triangle,’ mimicking the influence of major U.S. hubs, Boston, New York and Washington.”

Asia Pacific is home to several high growth markets. Service from Tokyo (NRT) to Taipei (TPE) made the list of top 20 busiest international markets for the first time (13,902 annual operating flights). The trip from Incheon (ICN) to Osaka (KIX) grew more popular this year, adding 2,223 flights. Other key international routes that increased in position include Bangkok (BKK) to Hong Kong (HKG) and Hong Kong (HKG) to Beijing (PEK), which both moved up one position to rank 11^th and 12^th respectively, and Bangkok (BKK) to Singapore (SIN), which jumped two places to ninth overall.

For more insights on the world’s busiest international and domestic routes, access the full analysis.

About OAG

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