The world’s most heavily traveled airline routes are revealed in recent data from OAG, with a striking pattern: domestic routes overwhelmingly lead in passenger volume. While international travel is significant, no single international route comes close to matching the demand of top domestic corridors.

Global Leaders: Jeju–Seoul Gimpo Takes the Crown

The busiest airline route worldwide, by a substantial margin, is between Jeju (CJU) and Seoul Gimpo (GMP) in South Korea. This route carries over 14.3 million available seats annually. The dominance of this route is due to several factors: South Korea’s high population density, Jeju Island’s popularity as a year-round tourist destination, and the limited alternative transport options.

Top 10 Busiest Global Routes (2025):

  1. Jeju (CJU) – Seoul Gimpo (GMP): 14,384,766 seats
  2. Sapporo New Chitose (CTS) – Tokyo Haneda (HND): 12,099,499 seats
  3. Fukuoka (FUK) – Tokyo Haneda (HND): 11,496,706 seats
  4. Hanoi (HAN) – Ho Chi Minh City (SGN): 11,078,775 seats
  5. Jeddah (JED) – Riyadh (RUH): 9,819,558 seats
  6. Melbourne (MEL) – Sydney (SYD): 8,951,497 seats
  7. Tokyo Haneda (HND) – Okinawa Naha (OKA): 8,052,864 seats
  8. Mumbai (BOM) – Delhi (DEL): 7,642,016 seats
  9. Beijing Capital (PEK) – Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA): 7,454,950 seats
  10. Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) – Shenzhen (SZX): 7,138,673 seats

International Hotspots: Asia and the Middle East Lead

The busiest international routes are concentrated in Asia and the Middle East. The route between Hong Kong (HKG) and Taipei (TPE) tops the list with over 6.8 million seats, followed by Cairo (CAI) to Jeddah (JED) and Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Singapore (SIN).

Top 10 Busiest International Routes (2025):

  1. Hong Kong (HKG) – Taipei (TPE): 6,832,683 seats
  2. Cairo (CAI) – Jeddah (JED): 5,753,491 seats
  3. Kuala Lumpur (KUL) – Singapore Changi (SIN): 5,574,409 seats
  4. Seoul Incheon (ICN) – Tokyo Narita (NRT): 5,069,779 seats
  5. Seoul Incheon (ICN) – Osaka Kansai (KIX): 4,959,596 seats
  6. Jakarta (CGK) – Singapore (SIN): 4,619,323 seats
  7. Dubai (DXB) – Riyadh (RUH): 4,465,632 seats
  8. Bangkok (BKK) – Hong Kong (HKG): 4,169,125 seats
  9. Tokyo Narita (NRT) – Taipei (TPE): 4,021,181 seats
  10. New York (JFK) – London (LHR): 3,971,000 seats

US Domestic Travel: New York–Los Angeles Reigns

In the United States, the New York JFK (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX) route is the busiest, with over 3.4 million seats. This is followed by routes between New York and Chicago, and Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Top 10 Busiest US Domestic Routes (2025):

  1. New York JFK (JFK) – Los Angeles (LAX): 3,431,159 seats
  2. New York LaGuardia (LGA) – Chicago O’Hare (ORD): 3,334,011 seats
  3. Los Angeles (LAX) – San Francisco (SFO): 3,306,223 seats
  4. Las Vegas (LAS) – Los Angeles (LAX): 3,283,510 seats
  5. Atlanta (ATL) – Orlando (MCO): 3,226,190 seats
  6. Denver (DEN) – Phoenix (PHX): 3,118,880 seats
  7. Honolulu (HNL) – Kahului (OGG): 3,045,165 seats
  8. Los Angeles (LAX) – Chicago O’Hare (ORD): 2,793,178 seats
  9. Atlanta (ATL) – New York LaGuardia (LGA): 2,763,776 seats
  10. Atlanta (ATL) – Fort Lauderdale (FLL): 2,631,730 seats

The data highlights the scale of domestic travel, particularly in East Asia. The sheer volume of passengers on routes like Jeju–Seoul Gimpo demonstrates how localized factors – population density, tourism, and limited alternatives – can create exceptionally high demand. The disparity between domestic and international route capacity suggests that while global travel is recovering, domestic markets continue to dominate in terms of pure passenger numbers.

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