What are the Busiest International Air Routes in the World?

There can often be several airlines flying the same route, giving passengers a large variety of airlines to choose to fly with. We all know that Jeju to Seoul in South Korea is the biggest international air route, but which route has the most planes flying it? Join me as I explore the top 3 busiest routes in the world. Please note, these results were recorded in October and August of 2022.

3. New York J.F.K to London Heathrow

The transatlantic routes connecting the US to Europe have for a long time been known to be the busiest routes in the world. With around 31.2 million passengers using J.F.K airport in 2019, the airport is extremely well known among aviation enthusiasts. In October it had 1390 routes to 75 different countries. These statistics put J.F.K to Heathrow in 3rd place with 13,388 seats being sold per day in August 2022.

2. Dubai DXB to Riyadh RUH

Dubai to Riyadh has long been a popular route, with Dubai being one of the largest and most famous cities in the world, especially in the case of its airlines. Noticeably, the largest airline based in Dubai is Emirates, who’s First class lounge in Dubai airport occupies 100,000 square feet. They own 254 aircraft (116 of which are Airbus A380s) and fly them to 158 destinations across the world. Because the airline is so big, this means that Dubai airports is no stranger to the world of connections, hence why the airport is so regularly served. In October 2022, the route sold an astonishing 305,002 seats.

1. Kuala Lumpur – Singapore Changi

Whilst this route may be fairly small, it is nothing short of mighty. In fact, Singapore’s Changi airport is often seen as the best airport in the world, with features including an indoor waterfall with garden, swimming pool with a view of the apron and slides to gates. Like Dubai, Singapore is often a connecting airport for flights to the east of the planet, so it’s no surprise that it has such a large amount of traffic. In October 2022, Kuala Lumpur to Singapore sold 355,540 seats.

Sources:

• oag.com
• jfkairport.net
• onemileatatime.com
• routesonline.com
• changiairport.com (cover image)

Sam Jakobi

Sam Jakobi is a young aviation enthusiast based in London, UK. Sam writes articles and conducts interviews with members of the aviation community.

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