OAG has delved into its data to reveal which routes were the busiest in 2024. and named Hong Kong to Taipei as the busiest air route for 2024—with a total of 6.8 million seats.
It isn’t the first time this route has climbed to the top spot, it was here back in 2019, but in 2023 it was in 3rd. Despite rising 48% year-on-year to claim the title, OAG says available seats on the route are still down 15% on 2019.
In 2nd place for the second consecutive year is the Cairo-Jeddah sector with 5.5 million seats, but OAG notes that available seats on the route are up 62% on 2019. Seoul Incheon-Tokyo Narita, with its 5.4 million seats, is 3rd thanks to capacity on this route increasing by 30% compared to 2023 levels and 68% on 2019. Dropping from first place last year to 4th this year is Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Changi, with 5.4 million seats, up 10% on its 2023 levels but down 3% on 2019 levels.
In 5th is ICN-Osaka Kansai with 4.9 million seats, a drop from 4th place last year despite seats increasing 18% year-on-year. However, seats on the route are up 45% on 2019 levels. Dubai-Riyadh is sixth with 4.3 million seats, up 8% year-on-year, while Bangkok-HKG is 7th with seats at 4.2 million, up 29%, and Jakarta-Singapore Changi is 8th with just over four million seats, up 4% year-on-year. BKK-SIN is 9th and 10th is New York JFK-London Heathrow, rising 16% and 3% on 2023, respectively.
. . . Domestic
OAG’s data shows Jeju-Seoul as the busiest domestic route in the world with 14.2 million seats, equivalent to almost 39,000 daily seats. Japan proves popular on the list, with Hokkaido’s Chitose Airport-Tokyo Haneda in second with 11.9 million seats and Fukuoka-Tokyo Haneda third with 11.3 million seats. Fourth is Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City with 10.6 million seats, while Australia makes a debut on the list with Melbourne- Sydney fifth with 9.2 million seats. The top five busiest domestic routes in the world in 2024 are in the same position as 2023.
