SINGAPORE, 20 December 2024: OAG, a data platform for the global travel industry, released the 2024 Busiest Routes in the World Report on Wednesday that shows Asia Pacific dominates the top 10 busiest domestic and international routes.
OAG’s Global Airline Schedules Data powered the analysis and provides an overview of route performance and trends, both internationally and domestically.
Asia Pacific again dominates the annual rankings, with seven of the top 10 international busiest routes and 9/10 busiest domestic routes.
The busiest international route of 2024, and the top 10 route seeing the most significant growth, is Hong Kong (HKG)-Taipei (TPE), with 6.8 million seats and a 48% increase in capacity between 2023-2024, pushing it up from third place last year.
Cairo (CAI)-Jeddah (JED) takes the #2 spot with 5.5 million seats, one of two routes operating in the Middle East that have entered the top 10 since 2019. CAI-JED has experienced 68% growth in five years, while Dubai (DBX)-Riyadh (RUH) is in sixth place with 4.3 million seats and 37% capacity growth since 2019.
Other international routes seeing impressive year-on-year growth are Seoul Incheon (ICN)-Tokyo Narita (NRT), moving from fifth to third with 30% capacity growth, and Bangkok (BKK)-Hong Kong (HKG), re-entering the top 10 at #7 after placing 11th in 2023.
New York (JFK)- London Heathrow (LHR) takes the top spot for the busiest international route in Europe and North America. Cairo (CAI)-Jeddah (JED) is the top international route in both Africa and the Middle East, and Orlando (MCO)-San Juan (SJU) is the #1 international route in Latin America.
OAG’s Chief Analyst, John Grant, commented: “With the ASPAC region very close to a full recovery, the busiest routes are concentrated in the familiar major hubs of Hong Kong, Seoul Incheon and Singapore, although the composition of the supply on those routes is changing as the low-cost sector continues its growth at a faster rate than legacy.
One of the most interesting developments is the growth in regional Middle East markets with a particular emphasis on Saudi Arabia, where the Vision 2030 project continues to drive both business and leisure demand”.
Find the global and regional rankings of the world’s busiest airline routes of 2024 and methodology on OAG’s website.
