List of busiest passenger air routes


These are lists of the busiest air routes by the number of passengers flown, by seat capacity and by aircraft movements.

By number of passengers

World

The top 50 busiest air routes
RankAirport 1Airport 2Distance 20182017Type
1 Jeju Seoul-Gimpo44914,107,41413,460,306Domestic
2 Sapporo Tokyo-Haneda8359,698,6398,726,502Domestic
3 Sydney Melbourne7059,245,3929,090,941Domestic
4 Fukuoka Tokyo-Haneda8898,762,5477,864,000Domestic
5 Mumbai Delhi11507,392,1557,129,943Domestic
6 Hanoi Ho Chi Minh City11716,867,1146,769,823Domestic
7 Beijing Shanghai-Hongqiao10816,518,9976,833,684Domestic
8 Hong Kong Taipei-Taoyuan8026,476,2686,719,030International
9 Tokyo-Haneda Naha15735,829,7125,269,481Domestic
10 Jakarta Surabaya7005,649,0465,271,304Domestic
11 Jakarta Denpasar9915,535,1084,952,852Domestic
12 Jeddah Riyadh8575,526,1105,091,629Domestic
13 Tokyo-Haneda Osaka-Itami4075,131,7575,106,584Domestic
14 Chengdu Beijing15595,092,4424,951,620Domestic
15 Guangzhou Beijing18985,076,2294,864,177Domestic
16 Cancun Mexico City12944,885,6024,656,308Domestic
17 Beijing Shenzhen19794,853,0384,496,351Domestic
18 Brisbane Sydney7564,815,6094,742,771Domestic
19 Jakarta Singapore8964,812,3424,810,602International
20 Guangzhou Shanghai-Hongqiao11764,724,5144,469,990Domestic
21 Shanghai-Hongqiao Shenzhen12174,679,2944,445,654Domestic
22 Bangalore Delhi17174,542,6384,183,799Domestic
23 Jakarta Makassar14394,530,4284,559,737Domestic
24 Jakarta Medan14014,512,8303,886,963Domestic
25 Cape Town Johannesburg12924,508,2144,698,849Domestic
26 Kuala Lumpur Singapore2964,490,4634,108,824International
27 São Paulo–Congonhas Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont3784,234,6314,096,193Domestic
28 Hong Kong Shanghai-Pudong12474,053,9094,162,347International
29 New York-JFK Los Angeles39823,971,9223,531,613Domestic
30 Bogotá Medellin-Rionegro2393,930,3323,323,127Domestic
31 Bangalore Mumbai8343,814,4943,445,315Domestic
32 Los Angeles San Francisco5413,635,6553,507,702Domestic
33 Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi Phuket6853,612,3733,396,189Domestic
34 Brisbane Melbourne13793,565,2663,545,156Domestic
35 Cebu Manila5703,519,5253,233,871Domestic
36 Hong Kong Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi16943,490,9883,438,628International
37 Mexico City Monterrey7293,474,9713,202,091Domestic
38 Kolkata Delhi13333,431,9993,153,548Domestic
39 Da Nang Ho Chi Minh City6173,256,7183,210,368Domestic
40 Chiang Mai Bangkok-Don Mueang5693,212,1243,155,528Domestic
41 Seoul-Incheon Osaka-Kansai8723,210,8132,907,199International
42 Cusco Lima5833,201,4143,000,513Domestic
43 New York-LaGuardia Chicago-O'Hare11773,198,7003,118,651Domestic
44 Jakarta Kuala Lumpur11423,170,1932,812,479International
45 Mexico City Guadalajara4663,170,1772,996,806Domestic
46 Jeju Gimhae2943,106,2242,793,383Domestic
47 İzmir Istanbul-Atatürk3483,084,2503,496,438Domestic
48 Hong Kong Seoul-Incheon20803,081,9423,198,132International
49 Guangzhou Chengdu12323,044,0382,944,642Domestic
50 Hong Kong Manila11453,008,8422,907,228International

The world's busiest international air routes by origin-and-destination passenger volume (airport pairs)

Busiest routes by region

The world's twelve busiest air routes by origin-and-destination passenger volume 2011-2015

RankCity 1City 2Distance 2015 passengers
2014 passengers
2012 passengers
2011 passengers
Note
1 Seoul-Gimpo Jeju45011.110.510.1569.9Domestic
2 Tokyo* Sapporo8197.87.08.2117.0+Domestic
3 Tokyo* Fukuoka8837.68.36.6406.6+Domestic
4 Delhi Mumbai11507.36.86.15.6Domestic
6 Beijing* Shanghai10756.15.87.2466.6+Domestic
7 São Paulo Rio de Janeiro3667.7167.6+Domestic
8 Tokyo* Osaka4056.7447.5Domestic
9 Hong Kong Taipei7805.15.15.5136.2+International
10 Dublin London*4404.7International
11 Tokyo* Naha15544.5844.1Domestic
12 Sydney Brisbane8004.45Domestic
13 Johannesburg Cape Town12714.4074.5Domestic

*

By seat capacity

The following lists the world's top 10 busiest routes based on total number of seats per year flown in each direction.
The following lists the world's top 10 busiest routes based on total number of seat kilometers per year flown as of 2015.
RankAirport 1Airport 2Seat kilometers
Airlines serving
1 London-Heathrow New York-JFK10.92American Airlines, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic
2 London-Heathrow Dubai-International9.37British Airways, Emirates
3 London-Heathrow Hong Kong8.75British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Virgin Atlantic
4 London-Heathrow Los Angeles8.53American Airlines, British Airways, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic
5 London-Heathrow Singapore8.21British Airways, Qantas, Singapore Airlines
6 Los Angeles New York-JFK8.12Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue
7 Los Angeles Sydney7.68American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Qantas, United Airlines, Virgin Australia
8 Sydney Dubai-International6.65Emirates, Qantas
9 Taipei-Taoyuan Los Angeles6.44China Airlines, EVA Air
10 Los Angeles Seoul-Incheon6.43Asiana Airlines, Korean Air

By aircraft movements

The following is a list of the world's busiest air routes based on the number of scheduled flights in both directions. Note that these statistics do not consider the number of passengers carried.

Domestic

RankCity 1City 2Flights from Mar.
2018 to Feb. 2019		Top carriers
1 Jeju Seoul-Gimpo79,460Air Busan, Air Seoul, Asiana Airlines, Eastar Jet, Jeju Air, Jin Air, Korean Air, T'way Air
2 Melbourne Sydney54,102Jetstar Airways, Qantas, Virgin Australia, Tigerair Australia
3 Delhi Mumbai45,188Air India, GoAir, IndiGo, Jet Airways, SpiceJet, Vistara
4 Rio de Janeiro São Paulo39,747Gol Transportes Aéreos, LATAM Airlines Brasil, Azul Linhas Aéreas
5 Fukuoka Tokyo-Haneda39,406All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Skymark Airlines
6 Hanoi Ho Chi Minh City39,291Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific, Vietjet Air
7 Sapporo Tokyo-Haneda39,271All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Skymark Airlines
8 Jakarta Surabaya37,762Garuda Indonesia, Citilink, Lion Air, Batik Air
9 Los Angeles San Francisco35,365American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines
10 Jeddah Riyadh35,149Saudia, Flynas
11 Cape Town Johannesburg33,708Comair, Mango, South African Airways, Safair
12 Brisbane Sydney33,443Jetstar Airways, Qantas, Virgin Australia, Tigerair Australia
13 Cusco Lima27,092Avianca, LATAM Perú, Peruvian Airlines
14 Jakarta Denpasar31,958Batik Air, Citilink, Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, Sriwijaya Air
15 Bogotá Medellin31,279Avianca, LATAM Airlines, VivaAir
16 Shanghai-Hongqiao Shenzhen29,401Spring Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Xianmen Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines
17 Beijing Shanghai-Hongqiao29,233Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Xiamen Airlines
18 Jakarta Makassar28,903Garuda Indonesia, Citilink, Lion Air, Batik Air
19 New Delhi Bangalore28,716AirAsia India, Air India, GoAir, IndiGo, Jet Airways, SpiceJet, Vistara
20 Los Angeles New York-JFK26,286American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Alaska Airlines

International

RankCity 1City 2Flights 2018Flights 2017Top carriers
1 Kuala Lumpur Singapore30,53729,383Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, AirAsia, SilkAir, Jetstar Asia, Malindo Air, Scoot, Firefly, Saudia
2 Hong Kong Taipei-Taoyuan28,88729,494Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, EVA Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Cathay Dragon
3 Jakarta Singapore27,30426,872Singapore Airlines, Garuda, Lion Air, Jetstar Asia, Indonesia AirAsia, Scoot, Batik Air
4 Hong Kong Shanghai-Pudong21,88820,818Cathay Dragon, China Eastern Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Cathay Pacific
5 Jakarta Kuala Lumpur19.84920,890Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, Lion Air, Indonesia AirAsia, Malindo Airways, Garuda
6 Seoul-Incheon Osaka17,488Asiana Airlines, Korean Air, Jin Air, Jeju Airlines, Peach Aviation, Easter Jet, T'way Air
7 Hong Kong Seoul-Incheon17,07516,366Cathay Pacific, Korean Air, HK Express, Asiana Airlines, Jeju Airlines, Thai Airways
8 New York-LaGuardia Toronto-Pearson16,95617,116Air Canada, Westjet, American Airlines
9 Dubai-International Kuwait15,33213,297Emirates, Flydubai, Kuwait Airways, Jazeera Airways
10 Hong Kong Singapore15,02914,162Cathay Pacific Airways, Singapore Airlines, Scoot, Jetstar Asia
11 Bangkok Singapore14,85914,455Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Scoot, Jetstar Asia, Cathay Pacific
12 Bangkok Hong Kong14,83214,406Cathay Pacific, Thai Airways, Hong Kong Airlines, Emirates
13 Hong Kong Beijing14,54314,592Cathay Dragon, Air China, Hong Kong Airlines, Cathay Pacific, China Southern Airlines
14 Dublin London-Heathrow14,39014,556Aer Lingus, British Airways
15 Tokyo-Narita Taipei-Taoyuan14,186China Airlines, EVA Air, Peach Aviation, Tigerair Taiwan, Japan Airlines, ANA, Cathay Pacific, Jetstar Japan
16 New York-JFK London-Heathrow13,88814,218British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines
17 Osaka Shanghai-Pudong13,576China Eastern Airlines, Air China, Juneyao Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Spring Airlines
18 Seoul-Incheon Tokyo-Narita13,517Asiana Airlines, Korean Air, Jeju Airlines, Eastar Jet, Jin Air, T'way Air, Japan Airlines
19 Amsterdam London-Heathrow13,17013,220KLM, British Airways
20 Chicago Toronto13,10013,595Air Canada, United Airlines, American Airlines
21 Hong Kong Manila13,270Cebu Pacific Air, Cathay Pacific, Philippine Airlines, Philippine AirAsia
22 Frankfurt London-Heathrow13,208British Airways, Lufthansa
23 Cairo Jeddah12,896Saudi Arabian Airlines, Egyptair, Flynas
24 Stockholm Oslo12,804Norwegian Air Shuttle, SAS

Regional statistics

Europe

Busiest air routes inside the EU, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway *

RankAirport 1Airport 220112012201320142015201620172018
1 Madrid/Barajas Barcelona/El Prat **3,102,4362,550,4622,213,2002,204,7652,253,3872,328,7262,341,2552,466,968
2 Frankfurt Berlin/Tegel1,792,6551,813,0631,845,6001,792,0061,907,2181,935,4651,956,1282,292,098
3 Toulouse/Blagnac Paris/Orly2,322,4562,330,2242,379,1002,330,9492,318,0152,358,9172,325,0432,282,407
4 Nice Paris/Orly2,236,4362,175,7732,160,3002,072,1382,113,5062,124,7922,217,8952,135,634
5 Oslo/Gardermoen Trondheim1,749,5451,818,8771,873,9441,912,1411,942,9591,988,1052,089,8892,151,448
6 Barcelona/El Prat Palma de Mallorca1,639,4231,460,6841,388,9001,410,1721,576,0631,772,6131,944,5542,035,602
7 Oslo/Gardermoen Bergen1,691,8871,729,0761,722,3981,819,2791,810,8261,881,9601,985,0882,028,680
8 Berlin/Tegel Munich1,667,4081,731,1451,831,7001,868,8771,974,9291,939,8201,973,0081,988,248
9 Catania/Fontanarossa Rome/Fiumicino1,842,9401,694,4001,566,8001,869,8811,979,6482,054,7212,017,1721,976,230
10 Madrid/Barajas Palma de Mallorca1,604,8531,442,4101,224,7001,283,4041,411,3141,687,5471,815,3871,967,136
11 London/Heathrow Dublin1,556,1111,577,6491,663,9001,650,3941,682,8551,751,6891,803,4791,809,140
12 Munich Hamburg1,717,7341,719,3511,713,2001,756,9901,811,4251,805,2111,739,2521,749,616
13 Amsterdam London/Heathrow1,406,9641,429,8001,443,4001,486,7831,587,6051,617,1701,689,9241,746,940
14 Oslo/Gardermoen Stavanger1,434,0431,517,1951,536,0321,564,6311,515,8701,564,1271,600,9591,675,486
15 Rome/Fiumicino Palermo/Falcone Borsellino1,499,9331,360,4001,264,1001,475,9571,481,1741,543,4621,589,7331,663,463
16 Madrid/Barajas Gran Canaria1,438,3771,301,5391,152,6691,181,4421,305,6701,508,9721,510,4291,616,540
17 London/Gatwick Barcelona/El Prat517,820741,7351,131,3501,273,8501,354,1931,362,4881,460,3781,556,045
18 London/Heathrow Frankfurt1,459,9091,482,6491,488,6001,506,8261,530,9861,486,2911,495,4721,552,249
19 Athens Thessaloniki970,462970,797997,2001,543,9931,633,0451,803,7331,598,4991,543,931
20 Stockholm Copenhagen1,166,0001,269,2001,325,7001,444,4291,461,1661,553,2761,520,2871,520,873
21 Madrid/Barajas Lisbon1,169,7141,108,931975,3891,026,7861,174,1161,299,4121,427,9291,517,620
22 Copenhagen Oslo/Gardermoen1,206,4801,291,0181,322,9481,402,7531,427,6181,506,3261,544,5341,509,030
23 Palma de Mallorca Düsseldorf944,437985,7491,090,2271,162,2681,201,6641,268,8911,267,6761,495,826
24 Madrid/Barajas Tenerife North1,337,0501,167,7311,102,7011,094,8151,149,4501,305,1101,380,9161,487,326
25 Stockholm Oslo/Gardermoen1,153,2321,187,1641,204,3511,354,7301,338,1631,387,8851,406,2111,453,105
26 Frankfurt Hamburg1,587,5931,385,8671,362,4001,343,8571,361,0271,372,1851,395,4081,440,312
27 Munich Düsseldorf1,569,3641,553,3611,558,2001,527,4161,557,4421,565,9971,554,1841,422,773
28 Barcelona/El Prat Amsterdam1,321,5281,250,1261,186,8081,217,9771,204,8141,307,9021,363,6261,420,246
29 London/Heathrow Madrid/Barajas1,093,4001,197,7001,264,8001,274,7141,320,8341,317,5111,382,2901,416,795
30 London/Gatwick Dublin923,130937,378978,522993,7681,086,7011,309,5241,367,2311,347,303

* Figures are only available for EU countries, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. Among other European countries, based on airport statistics, no other country than Russia, Ukraine and Turkey can have domestic routes with more than 1 million passengers.
The St-Petersburg Pulkovo Airport - Moscow route was used by 2,965,331 passengers in 2013.
**Madrid-Barcelona had 4,627,000 passengers in 2007, meaning a reduction by 34% in 2010, partly because of a new high-speed railway. The decline has continued from 560 weekly flights in 2010 to 380 in 2012.

Busiest air routes between an airport in Europe (EU, UK, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway) and outside Europe

RankAirport 1Airport 22010201220142015201620172018
1 London/Heathrow New York/John F Kennedy2,551,2762,881,3903,002,0243,078,6932,960,2682,946,3293,035,228
2 London/Heathrow Dubai/Intl1,974,0982,067,2272,838,7172,862,8523,038,9583,238,3082,732,638
3 London/Heathrow Los Angeles/Intl1,419,1441,428,0401,481,0231,645,0021,565,9921,618,1531,675,577
4 London/Heathrow Singapore/Changi1,507,0321,745,1861,247,0171,268,4071,314,9761,351,9801,590,704
5 Paris/Charles De Gaulle New York/John F Kennedy1,190,9141,422,2591,367,8821,501,4161,424,6111,554,7931,580,664
6 London/Heathrow Hong Kong/Chek Lap Kok1,801,5201,638,8341,608,9801,584,4861,574,7411,588,8051,572,021
7 Paris/Orly Guadeloupe/Pointe-à-Pitre1,098,3221,077,2541,135,9451,166,8501,214,9161,227,5531,299,570
8 Paris/Charles De Gaulle Montreal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau1,158,3811,092,0841,107,7381,147,5981,148,8001,183,5041,185,183
9 London/Heathrow Doha/HamadN/AN/A653,7241,040,3151,184,9941,287,2251,181,345
10 Paris/Charles De Gaulle Dubai/Intl716,865843,2051,063,5591,076,8751,101,5461,148,8201,167,935

Busiest air routes in or from Europe by city pairs

;Busiest international air routes in Argentina:
RankAirport 1Airport 2Passengers
1 Buenos Aires Santiago de Chile2,027,000
2 Buenos Aires São Paulo1,903,000
3 Buenos Aires Miami1,001,000
4 Buenos Aires Rio de Janeiro938,000
5 Buenos Aires Lima896,000
6 Buenos Aires Madrid815,000
7 Mendoza Santiago de Chile425,000
8 Buenos Aires Bogotá372,000
9 Buenos Aires Rome332,000
10 Buenos Aires New York329,000

;Busiest domestic air routes in Argentina:
RankAirport 1Airport 2Passengers
1 Buenos Aires Córdoba1,368,000
2 Buenos Aires - Aeroparque Bariloche1,005,000
3 Buenos Aires - Aeroparque Mendoza880,000
4 Buenos Aires - Aeroparque Iguazú841,000
5 Buenos Aires - Aeroparque Salta828,000
6 Buenos Aires - Aeroparque Neuquén722,000
7 Buenos Aires - Aeroparque Tucumán501,000
8 Buenos Aires - Aeroparque Ushuaia490,000
9 Buenos Aires - Aeroparque Comodoro Rivadavia462,000
10 Buenos Aires - Aeroparque El Calafate383,000

Australia (2016-17)

;Busiest domestic air routes in Australia :
RankAirport 1Airport 2Passengers
1 Melbourne Sydney8,974,400
2 Brisbane Sydney4,695,700
3 Brisbane Melbourne3,500,500
4 Gold Coast Sydney2,712,700
5 Adelaide Melbourne2,413,200
6 Melbourne Perth2,048,100
7 Gold Coast Melbourne1,992,200
8 Adelaide Sydney1,886,500
9 Perth Sydney1,737,800
10 Melbourne Hobart1,598,700

Colombia (2017)

;Busiest domestic air routes in Colombia :
RankAirport 1Airport 2Passengers
1 Bogotá Medellín3,013,297
2 Bogotá Cartagena2,433,483
3 Bogotá Cali2,083,833
4 Bogotá Barranquilla1,435,766
5 Bogotá Santa Marta1,151,101
6 Bogotá Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina951,880
7 Bogotá Bucaramanga942,793
8 Bogotá Pereira849,118
9 Cartagena Medellín738,699
10 Bogotá Montería568,500

;Busiest international air routes in Colombia:
RankAirport 1Airport 2Passengers
1 Bogotá Panama City698,916
2 Bogotá Mexico City533,444
3 Bogotá Lima470,514
4 Bogotá Miami469,899
5 Bogotá Madrid447,470
6 Bogotá Quito391,586
7 Bogotá Santiago de Chile366,904
8 Medellín Panama City366,630
9 Bogotá Buenos Aires333,481
10 Bogotá Cancún306,905

India (2017-18)

Busiest domestic air routes in India:
RankAirport 1Airport 2Passengers
1DelhiMumbai7,854,642
2DelhiBangalore4,572,936
3MumbaiBangalore4,085,712
4DelhiKolkata3,358,674
5DelhiHyderabad3,084,516
6DelhiPune2,976,318
7MumbaiGoa2,856,942
8DelhiChennai2,814,354
9MumbaiChennai2,651,778
10MumbaiHyderabad2,538,756
11DelhiAhmedabad2,475,954
12MumbaiAhmedabad2,374,956
13BangaloreHyderabad2,364,978
14MumbaiKolkata2,195,784
15DelhiLucknow2,074,536

Mexico (2018-2019)

;Busiest domestic air routes in Mexico:
RankAirport 1Airport 2Passengers Passengers % change
1 Mexico City Cancun4,990,6475,009,2350.37%
2 Monterrey Mexico City3,452,4213,601,9374.33%
3 Mexico City Guadalajara3,167,4383,386,5216.92%
4 Tijuana Mexico City1,964,4602,151,3439.51%
5 Mexico City Mérida1,686,2561,851,4149.79%
6 Tijuana Guadalajara1,783,1491,748,2131.96%
7 Monterrey Cancún1,282,7771,386,0568.05%
8 Puerto Vallarta Mexico City956,4191,094,69414.46%
9 Tuxtla Gutierrez Mexico City931,000981,0085.37%
10 San José del Cabo Mexico City844,785971,01614.94%

;Busiest international air routes from Mexico
RankAirport 1Airport 2Passengers Passengers % change
1 Mexico City Los Angeles1,236,1681,044,78615.48%
2 Mexico City New York-JFK1,009,0241,037,2592.80%
3 Guadalajara Los Angeles993,213994,8220.16%
4 Mexico City Madrid779,777880,98812.98%
5 Mexico City Bogotá849,590866,8962.04%
6 Cancun Houston-Intercontinental868,115856,9521.29%
7 Cancún Dallas/Fort Worth779,235840,8007.90%
8 Mexico City Houston–Intercontinental1,049,838831,72920.78%
9 Cancún Toronto-Pearson801,544822,7442.64%
10 Mexico City Miami663,277770,17716.12%

United States (September 2014 - August 2015)

;Busiest air routes by city pairs within the United States
RankCity 1City 2Passengers
1 Chicago, IL New York, NY 4,020,000
2 Los Angeles, CA San Francisco, CA 3,660,000
3 Los Angeles, CA New York, NY 3,420,000
4 Chicago, IL Los Angeles, CA 3,010,000
5 Miami, FL New York, NY 2,750,000
6 Atlanta, GA Chicago, IL 2,720,000
7 Chicago, IL Minneapolis, MN 2,720,000
8 Atlanta, GA New York, NY 2,600,000
9 Atlanta, GA Orlando, FL 2,620,000
10 Chicago, IL Washington, DC 2,620,000