Asia dominates the rankings of the busiest domestic routes, with Japan leading the way. Flights connecting central Tokyo with popular resort destinations Fukuoka (a major culinary hub and gateway to Korea), Sapporo (a winter sports favorite) and Okinawa (known as the “Hawaii of Japan”) come in second, third and seventh place.
Crowded passengers inside Tan Son Nhat International Airport
There are also the busiest routes connecting major cities in wider countries, such as China (Beijing and Shanghai) and Australia (Melbourne and Sydney).
The busiest domestic air route in the US is not New York to Los Angeles, but Honolulu to Kahului in Hawaii, connecting the islands of Oahu and Maui. In total, 3.6 million seats are sold on that route. The domestic California route from San Francisco to Los Angeles was the number one in the US in 2019 but will fall to number 6 by 2023.
The Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City route ranked 4th on the list. According to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), in 2019 (before the pandemic), the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City route had more than 10 million passengers.
10 busiest domestic routes in 2023
1. Jeju to Seoul Gimpo
2. Sapporo New Chitose - Tokyo Haneda
3. Fukuoka - Tokyo Haneda
4. Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City
5. Melbourne - Sydney
6. Beijing - Shanghai
7. Tokyo Haneda - Okinawa Naha
8. Jeddah - Riyadh
9. Mumbai - Delhi
10. Jakarta - Bali Denpasar
For international routes, the busiest is not the US or China but Singapore-Malaysia. Specifically, 3 of the top 10 routes involve Singapore: connecting to Bangkok (in 8th place), Jakarta (landing in 7th place) and Kuala Lumpur (top of the list).
The data is based entirely on the number of seats sold on flights throughout 2023. The busiest route, from the Malaysian capital to Singapore, saw a total of 4.9 million seats sold. The flight, which takes just over an hour, is popular with passengers who prefer to travel between the two neighboring countries by air rather than by car.
Nine of the world’s 10 busiest routes are in Asia and the Middle East, with the only route outside this region being New York-London. OAG noted that the JFK-Heathrow route in the US was the only route in the top 10 to see an increase in total capacity compared to 2019.
10 busiest international routes in 2023
1. Kuala Lumpur to Singapore
2. Cairo to Jeddah
3. Hong Kong to Taipei
4. Seoul Incheon - Osaka Kansai
5. Seoul Incheon - Tokyo Narita
6. Dubai - Riyadh
7. Jakarta - Singapore
8. New York Kennedy - London Heathrow
9. Bangkok Suvarnabhumi - Singapore
10. Bangkok Suvarnabhumi - Seoul Incheon
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