The top 10 busiest flight routes globally in 2024.

According to a report released Tuesday by aviation intelligence company OAG, the busiest international flight route is Hong Kong-Taipei.

Despite a 15% decrease in seat capacity, the route that held the top spot in 2019 remains at the top of the list, according to OAG's report.

Despite being among the 10 busiest international routes globally, seat capacity on many of the Asia-Pacific routes has not yet reached 2019 levels.

Since 2019, two routes in the Middle East have experienced significant growth. The second busiest route, Cairo to Jeddah, has seen a 62% increase in available seats, with around 5.5 million seats available in 2021, according to OAG.

The Seoul Incheon to Tokyo Narita route, which is the third busiest, experienced a 68% increase in passengers from pre-pandemic levels, according to John Grant, chief analyst at OAG.

"As the Chinese international market continues to recover slowly, airlines have had to allocate aircraft to other markets. Japan is currently a very popular destination. Additionally, a few new carriers have entered the market, including Eastar and Air Japan. Lastly, due to Haneda airport being effectively full, new capacity has had to go to Narita."

The busiest international route linking Kuala Lumpur and Singapore in 2023 moved to fourth place, with seats 3% below 2019 levels. Meanwhile, the seventh busiest route between Bangkok and Hong Kong is not fully restored, remaining 13% behind pre-pandemic capacity.

The only route on the top 10 list that connects North America and Europe is New York-JFK to London-Heathrow. Last year, seat capacity on this route increased by 3%, reaching a total of 4 million seats, as per OAG.

The busiest international route in Latin America is the one that links Orlando, Florida, to San Juan, Puerto Rico, with 2.3 million seats.

Busiest domestic routes

International flight routes have less scheduled seats compared to domestic ones.

In 2024, the busiest route in the world was in South Korea, connecting Seoul to Jeju Island, with 14.2 million seats available, which equaled about 39,000 seats per day, according to OAG.

Although the capacity on the route is still 19% below pre-pandemic levels, the company stated.

In 2024, the top 9 busiest domestic airline routes will be located in the Asia-Pacific region, as stated in the report.

Another route in Japan, linking Fukuoka to Tokyo Haneda, ranks No. 2 in terms of the route connecting Hokkaido to Tokyo.

The busiest airline route in China links Beijing to Shanghai with 7.7 million seats, surpassing the 7 million seats on the Guangzhou to Shanghai route.

According to OAG, seats on the latter route decreased from 2023 levels to 2019 schedules, as Grant described it as a "readjustment."

"The Chinese airlines shifted their international capacity to domestic services during the pandemic, resulting in a significant increase in this route. Now, as the carriers gradually resume international services, we are witnessing a readjustment of capacity to more typical levels."

Saudi Arabia experienced the most significant growth on the list, with a 9% increase in seats on the route linking Jeddah and Riyadh from 2019.

Busiest domestic routes by region

In Africa, the busiest route links Cape Town in South Africa to Johannesburg with 5 million seats, while in Europe, Barcelona in Spain to the island of Mallorca has 2.9 million seats.

In the United States, the busiest route is between Atlanta and Orlando with 3.5 million seats, while in North America, the busiest route is between Vancouver and Toronto with 3,498,835 seats.