These are lists of the busiest flight routes by the number of passengers flown, by seat capacity and by aircraft movements in the 2020s. For previous data, see List of busiest passenger flight routes, 2010s
Global statistics
By available seats
The following are the lists of the world's busiest flight routes based on the number of seats available in the flights scheduled in both directions. Note that these statistics do not consider the number of passengers actually carried (load factor). OAG did not conduct the busiest flights survey in 2020.
Top 10 flight routes by available seats
| Rank | Airport 1 | Airport 2 | Distance (km) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeju | Seoul–Gimpo | 449 | 14,183,719 | 13,728,786 | 16,068,983 | 17,082,700 |
| 2 | Sapporo–Chitose | Tokyo–Haneda | 835 | 11,931,572 | 11,936,302 | 10,216,765 | 8,171,324 |
| 3 | Fukuoka | Tokyo–Haneda | 889 | 11,335,551 | 11,264,229 | 9,894,296 | 7,562,387 |
| 4 | Hanoi | Ho Chi Minh City | 1171 | 10,631,435 | 10,883,555 | 8,562,009 | 6,806,131 |
| 5 | Sydney | Melbourne | 705 | 9,217,377 | 9,342,312 | 6,996,156 | |
| 6 | Jeddah | Riyadh | 857 | 8,700,415 | 7,902,142 | 7,371,119 | 6,677,097 |
| 7 | Tokyo–Haneda | Naha | 1573 | 8,033,641 | 7,982,218 | 6,910,809 | 5,602,408 |
| 8 | Mumbai | Delhi | 1150 | 7,963,686 | 7,276,430 | 6,941,947 | 4,891,881 |
| 9 | Beijing–Capital | Shanghai–Hongqiao | 1081 | 7,714,758 | 8,355,225 | 6,321,194 | 7,910,793 |
| 10 | Guangzhou | Shanghai–Hongqiao | 1176 | 7,010,321 | 6,350,115 | ||
| Jakarta | Denpasar | 991 | 7,190,961 | 6,741,923 | 3,939,509 | ||
| Shanghai–Hongqiao | Shenzhen | 1217 | 6,555,365 | ||||
| Seoul–Gimpo | Busan | 328 | 6,297,916 | ||||
| Cancún | Mexico City | 1294 | 5,604,043 | ||||
| Jakarta | Makassar | 1439 | 4,895,779 | ||||
| Chengdu | Beijing–Capital | 1559 | 4,734,834 | ||||
| Tokyo–Haneda | Osaka–Itami | 407 | 4,728,321 | ||||
| Jeju | Busan | 293 | 4,176,876 | ||||
| Jakarta | Medan | 1401 | 4,060,426 | ||||
| Cape Town | Johannesburg | 1292 | 4,001,680 | ||||
| Beijing–Capital | Shenzhen | 1979 | 3,978,144 | ||||
| # | Hong Kong | Taipei–Taoyuan | 802 | 6,781,577 | 4,568,280 | 1,296,969 |
International flight routes (airport pairs) by available seats
| Rank | Airport 1 | Airport 2 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hong Kong | Taipei-Taoyuan | 6,781,577 | 4,568,280 | 1,296,969 | |
| 2 | Cairo | Jeddah | 5,469,274 | 4,795,712 | 3,234,683 | 2,031,882 |
| 3 | Seoul-Incheon | Tokyo-Narita | 5,410,456 | 4,155,418 | ||
| 4 | Kuala Lumpur | Singapore | 5,382,163 | 4,891,952 | 2,443,176 | |
| 5 | Seoul-Incheon | Osaka-Kansai | 4,982,769 | 4,218,484 | ||
| 6 | Dubai | Riyadh | 4,306,599 | 3,990,076 | 3,191,090 | 1,540,444 |
| 7 | Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi | Hong Kong | 4,201,802 | |||
| 8 | Jakarta | Singapore | 4,069,071 | 3,910,502 | ||
| 9 | Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi | Singapore | 4,033,344 | 3,478,474 | ||
| 10 | London–Heathrow | New York–JFK | 4,011,235 | 3,878,590 | 2,848,044 | 1,364,286 |
| Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi | Seoul-Incheon | 3,362,968 | ||||
| Dubai | London–Heathrow | 2,697,593 | 1,298,756 | |||
| Dubai | Jeddah | 2,425,930 | ||||
| Mumbai | Dubai | 1,977,537 | ||||
| Cairo | Riyadh | 1,913,991 | 1,357,685 | |||
| Delhi | Dubai | 1,898,749 | 1,381,137 | |||
| Moscow Domodedovo | Simferopol | 2,333,305 | ||||
| Orlando | San Juan | 2,025,654 | ||||
| Moscow Sheremetyevo | Simferopol | 2,000,319 | ||||
| Tehran Imran Khomeini | Istanbul | 1,404,075 | ||||
| Bahrain | Dubai | 1,319,732 | ||||
| Cancun | Dallas/Fort Worth | 1,305,749 | ||||
| New York–JFK | Santiago (DO) | 1,304,148 | ||||
| Antalya | Moscow Sheremetyevo | 1,293,937 | ||||
| Houston | Mexico City | 1,282,394 | ||||
| Dubai | Istanbul | 1,221,880 | ||||
| New York–JFK | Santo Domingo | 1,199,942 | ||||
| Dubai | Male | 1,166,944 |
By aircraft movements
The following are the lists of the world's busiest flight routes based on the number of scheduled flights in both directions. Note that these statistics do not consider the number of passengers carried.
Domestic
| Rank | Airport 1 | Airport 2 | # of flights (Jan – Nov 2021) | Airlines (2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeju (CJU) | Seoul (GMP) | 71,388 | Air Busan, Air Seoul, Asiana Airlines, Eastar Jet, Jeju Air, Jin Air, Korean Air, Parata Air, T'way Air |
| 2 | Seoul (GMP) | Busan (PUS) | 28,809 | Air Busan, Eastar Jet, Jeju Air, Jin Air, Korean Air, T'way Air |
| 3 | Jeddah (JED) | Riyadh (RUH) | 24,879 | Flyadeal, Flynas, Saudia |
| 4 | Fukuoka (FUK) | Tokyo (HND) | 23,079 | All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Skymark Airlines, StarFlyer |
| 5 | Sapporo (CTS) | Tokyo (HND) | 21,851 | Air Do, All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Skymark Airlines |
| 6 | Mexico City (MEX) | Cancún (CUN) | 21,352 | Aeroméxico, Aeroméxico Connect, Magnicharters, VivaAerobús, Volaris |
| 7 | Shanghai (SHA) | Shenzhen (SZX) | 19,945 | China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Juneyao Air, Shanghai Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Spring Airlines, XiamenAir |
| 8 | Beijing (PEK) | Shanghai (SHA) | 18,624 | Air China, China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, OTT Airlines, Shanghai Airlines |
| 9 | Hanoi (HAN) | Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) | 18,342 | Bamboo Airways, Pacific Airlines, VietJet Air, Vietnam Airlines, Vietravel Airlines |
| 10 | Bogotá (BOG) | Rionegro (MDE) | 18,086 | Avianca, LATAM, Ultra Air, Viva Air, Wingo |
| 11 | Guangzhou (CAN) | Shanghai (SHA) | 18,066 | Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Juneyao Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Spring Airlines |
| 12 | Jeju (CJU) | Busan (PUS) | 17,630 | Air Busan, Jeju Air, Eastar Jet, Jin Air, Korean Air |
| 13 | Mumbai (BOM) | Delhi (DEL) | 17,069 | AirAsia India, Air India, Go First, IndiGo, SpiceJet, Vistara |
| 14 | Los Angeles (LAX) | San Francisco (SFO) | 15,828 | Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, American Eagle, Delta Air Lines, Delta Connection, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines |
| 15 | Okinawa (OKA) | Tokyo (HND) | 15,687 | All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Skymark Airlines, Solaseed Air |
| 16 | Cape Town (CPT) | Johannesburg (JNB) | 15,208 | Airlink, CemAir, FlySafair, LIFT Airline, South African Airways |
| 17 | Chengdu (CTU) | Beijing (PEK) | 15,180 | Air China, Hainan Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines |
| 18 | Los Angeles (LAX) | Las Vegas (LAS) | 15,026 | Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, JSX, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, United Express, United Airlines |
| 19 | Chengdu (CTU) | Guangzhou (CAN) | 14,746 | Beijing Capital Airlines, Chengdu Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Sichuan Airlines |
| 20 | Bogotá (BOG) | Cali (CLO) | 14,604 | Avianca, LATAM, Ultra Air, Viva Air, Wingo |
International
The only international route to make the Top 50 busiest routes in 2021 was between Saint Barthélemy (SBH) and Sint Maarten (SXM).
Regional statistics
Europe
Busiest flight routes inside the EU, UK, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. Figures are only available for EU countries, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. Passengers of domestic routes in countries is fewer than 1 million, except for Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey, based on airport statistics among other European countries (excluding EU members, Switzerland, Iceland, and Norway). The St. Petersburg Pulkovo Airport – Moscow (three airports) route was used by 2,965,331 passengers in 2013.
The UK has not reported for 2021 and parts of 2020, due to Brexit, but data is available from EU/Eurostat countries for flights to/from the UK, but not for UK domestic or UK intercontinental flights. The multiple airports of London lower the airport-to-airport figures; the busiest UK domestic route in 2019 was Heathrow – Edinburgh with 1,196,921.
| Rank | Airport 1 | Airport 2 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona/El Prat | Palma de Mallorca | 2,033,205 | 1,220,540 | 820,742 |
| 2 | Madrid/Barajas | Palma de Mallorca | 1,877,938 | 1,140,759 | 793,794 |
| 3 | Oslo/Gardermoen | Trondheim | 1,839,520 | 1,005,775 | 918,615 |
| 4 | Oslo/Gardermoen | Bergen | 1,737,598 | 991,026 | 869,489 |
| 5 | Madrid/Barajas | Barcelona/El Prat | 1,715,592 | 1,013,754 | 754,090 |
| 6 | Rome/Fiumicino | Catania | 1,541,879 | 1,060,641 | 648,964 |
| 7 | Madrid/Barajas | Lisbon | 1,538,344 | 573,206 | 415,465 |
| 8 | Madrid/Barajas | Gran Canaria | 1,430,978 | 937,084 | 638,092 |
| 9 | Oslo/Gardermoen | Stavanger | 1,392,824 | 785,512 | 720,102 |
| 10 | Madrid/Barajas | Tenerife Norte | 1,291,140 | 875,428 | 617,739 |
| 11 | Athens/El. Venizelos | Thessaloniki/Macedonia | 1.204,852 | 826,643 | 551,914 |
| Rome/Fiumicino | Palermo/Falcone Borsellino | 1,176,181 | 741,588 | 549,692 | |
| Oslo/Gardermoen | Tromsø | 722,576 | 606,927 | ||
| Madrid/Barajas | Paris/Orly | 1,371,546 | 707,707 | 460,765 | |
| Paris/CDG | Nice | 699,762 | 744,588 | ||
| Athens/El. Venizelos | Heraklion | 650,400 | 504,120 | ||
| Athens/El. Venizelos | Larnaca | 622,148 | 427,252 | ||
| Madrid/Barajas | Ibiza | 610,232 | 368,182 | ||
| Amsterdam | Barcelona/El Prat | 608,458 | 377,835 | ||
| Berlin/Brandenburg | Frankfurt/Main | 574,588 | 382,232 | ||
| Amsterdam | Paris/CDG | 574,320 | 495,151 | ||
| Paris/CDG | Amsterdam/Schiphol | 570,825 | 492,723 | ||
| Athens/El. Venizelos | Santorini | 569,193 | 294,903 | ||
| Aalborg | Copenhagen | 557,869 | 353,196 | ||
| Berlin/Brandenburg | Palma de Mallorca | ||||
| Paris/CDG | Toulouse | 497,045 | 521,138 | ||
| Larnaca | Athens/El. Venizelos | 485,950 | 392,679 | ||
| Oslo/Gardermoen | Bodø | 480,661 | 398,431 | ||
| Stockholm/Arlanda | Luleå | 467,608 | 402,949 | ||
| Amsterdam/Schiphol | Madrid/Barajas | 1,207,458 | 458,560 | 359,582 | |
| Rome/Fiumicino | Cagliari, Sardinia | 457,430 | 363,665 | ||
| Rome/Fiumicino | Madrid/Barajas | 457,135 | 291,571 | ||
| Madrid/Barajas | Rome/Fiumicino | 1,291,186 | 457,111 | 288,463 | |
| Amsterdam/Schiphol | Lisbon | 442,593 | 332,296 | ||
| Athens/El. Venizelos | Paris/CDG | 435,115 | 297,056 | ||
| Amsterdam/Schiphol | Málaga/Costa del Sol | 430,838 | 229,366 | ||
| Athens/El. Venizelos | Rhodes | 428,845 | 294,090 | ||
| Athens/El. Venizelos | Chania, Crete | 427,966 | 274,263 | ||
| Madrid/Barajas | London/Heathrow | 425,692 | 454,469 | ||
| Paris/CDG | Barcelona/El Prat | 420,862 | 348,322 | ||
| Paris/CDG | Bordeaux | 413,802 | 295,201 | ||
| Madrid/Barajas | Frankfurt/Main | 413,715 | 304,230 | ||
| Copenhagen | Oslo/Gardermoen | 412,499 | 413,728 | ||
| Brussels | Madrid/Barajas | 410,557 | 279,122 | ||
| Madrid/Barajas | Brussels | 410,359 | 278,738 | ||
| Rome/Fiumicino | Paris/CDG | 406,047 | 344,462 | ||
| Oslo/Gardermoen | Copenhagen | 405,422 | 405,748 | ||
| Dublin | London/Heathrow | 404,011 | 445,413 | ||
| Oslo/Gardermoen | Harstad/Narvik | 403,916 | 319,663 | ||
| Paris/CDG | Rome/Fiumicino | 402,923 | 343,027 |
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