List of busiest passenger flight routes

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

Global statistics

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By number of passengers

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Top 10 busiest flight routes

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Rank Departing Arriving Distance (km) 2023[1] 2022[2] 2021[3] 2019[4] 2018[5] 2017[6] Type
1   Jeju   Seoul–Gimpo 449 13,728,786 16,068,983 17,082,700 17,426,873 14,107,414 13,460,306 Domestic
2   Sapporo   Tokyo–Haneda 835 11,936,302 10,216,765 8,171,324 12,498,468 9,698,639 8,726,502 Domestic
3   Fukuoka   Tokyo–Haneda 889 11,264,229 9,894,296 7,562,387 11,400,018 8,762,547 7,864,000 Domestic
4   Hanoi   Ho Chi Minh City 1171 10,883,555 8,562,009 6,806,131 10,253,530 6,867,114 6,769,823 Domestic
5   Sydney   Melbourne 705 9,342,312 6,996,156 2,119,779[7] 9,958,500 9,245,392 9,090,941 Domestic
6   Beijing–Capital   Shanghai–Hongqiao 1081 8,355,225 6,321,194 7,910,793 8,117,461 6,518,997 6,833,684 Domestic
7   Tokyo–Haneda   Naha 1573 7,982,218 6,910,809 5,602,408 7,704,098 5,829,712 5,269,481 Domestic
8   Jeddah   Riyadh 857 7,902,142 7,371,119 6,677,097 8,018,205 5,526,110 5,091,629 Domestic
9   Mumbai   Delhi 1150 7,276,430 6,941,947 4,891,881 8,230,822 7,392,155 7,129,943 Domestic
10   Jakarta   Denpasar 991 7,190,961 6,741,923 3,939,509 5,535,108 4,952,852 Domestic
Below this line are the former Top 11–50 flight routes. Data for popular 2019–2022 international routes might be provided, but a placement cannot be established.
  Shanghai–Hongqiao   Shenzhen 1217 6,555,365 4,679,294 4,445,654 Domestic
  Guangzhou   Shanghai–Hongqiao 1176 6,350,115 4,724,514 4,469,990 Domestic
  Seoul–Gimpo   Busan 328 6,297,916 Domestic
  Cancún   Mexico City 1294 5,604,043 4,885,602 4,656,308 Domestic
  Jakarta   Makassar 1439 4,895,779 4,530,428 4,559,737 Domestic
  Chengdu   Beijing–Capital 1559 4,734,834 5,092,442 4,951,620 Domestic
  Tokyo–Haneda   Osaka–Itami 407 4,728,321 7,248,300 5,131,757 5,106,584 Domestic
  Jeju   Busan 293 4,176,876 3,106,224 2,793,383 #61 Domestic
  Jakarta   Medan 1401 4,060,426 4,512,830 3,886,963 Domestic
  Cape Town   Johannesburg 1292 4,001,680 4,508,214 4,698,849 Domestic
  Beijing–Capital   Shenzhen 1979 3,978,144 4,853,038 4,496,351 Domestic
  Hong Kong   Taipei–Taoyuan 802 3,489,592 1,296,969 7,965,538 6,476,268 6,719,030 International
  Jakarta   Surabaya 700 5,649,046 5,271,304 Domestic
  Guangzhou   Beijing–Capital 1898 5,076,229 4,864,177 Domestic
  Brisbane   Sydney 756 3,594,184[7] 1,093,231[7] 4,815,609 4,742,771 Domestic
  Jakarta   Singapore 896 5,480,000 4,812,342 4,810,602 International
  Bengaluru   Delhi 1717 4,542,638 4,183,799 Domestic
  Kuala Lumpur   Singapore 296 2,443,176 5,560,894 4,490,463 4,108,824 International
  São Paulo–Congonhas   Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont 378 4,234,631 4,096,193 Domestic
  Hong Kong   Shanghai–Pudong 1247 4,463,658 4,053,909 4,162,347 International
  Los Angeles   San Francisco 541 3,971,922 3,507,702 Domestic
  Bogotá   Medellín-Rionegro 239 3,930,332 3,323,127 Domestic
  Bengaluru   Mumbai 834 3,814,494 3,445,315 Domestic
  New York–JFK   Los Angeles 3982 3,635,655 3,531,613 Domestic
  Bangkok–Don Mueang   Phuket 698 3,612,373 3,325,261 Domestic
  Brisbane   Melbourne 1379 2,806,475[7] 787,439[7] 3,565,266 3,545,156 Domestic
  Cebu   Manila 570 3,519,525 3,233,871 Domestic
  Hong Kong   Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi 1694 4,826,872 3,490,988 3,438,628 International
  Mexico City   Monterrey 729 3,474,971 3,202,091 Domestic
  Kolkata   Delhi 1333 3,431,999 3,153,548 Domestic
  Da Nang   Ho Chi Minh City 617 3,256,718 3,210,368 Domestic
  Chiang Mai   Bangkok–Don Mueang 569 3,212,124 3,155,528 Domestic
  Seoul–Incheon   Osaka–Kansai 872 3,210,813 2,907,199 #55 International
  Cusco   Lima 583 3,201,414 3,000,513 Domestic
  New York–LaGuardia   Chicago–O'Hare 1177 3,198,700 3,118,651 Domestic
  Jakarta   Kuala Lumpur 1142 816,810 3,798,559 3,170,193 2,812,479 #60 International
  Mexico City   Guadalajara 466 3,170,177 2,996,806 Domestic
  İzmir   Istanbul–Atatürk 348 3,084,250 3,496,438 Domestic
  Hong Kong   Seoul–Incheon 2080 3,942,875 3,081,942 3,198,132 International
  Guangzhou   Chengdu 1232 3,044,038 2,944,642 #52 Domestic
  Hong Kong   Manila 1145 3,852,991 3,008,842 2,907,228 #54 International
  Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi   Phuket 685 3,396,189 Domestic
  Dubai   London–Heathrow 5529 2,697,593 1,298,756 2,665,441 #74 3,210,121 International
  Hong Kong   Singapore 2587 2,923,578 #55 3,147,384 International
  New York–JFK   London–Heathrow 5562 2,848,044 1,364,286 3,833,701 2,846,321 #61 2,972,817 International
  Hong Kong   Beijing–Capital 2011 3,000,786 #51 2,962,707 International

Busiest international flight routes by origin-and-destination passenger volume (airport pairs)

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Rank Departing Arriving 2023[1] 2022[2] 2019[4] 2018[5] 2017[8][9] 2015 (in millions)[10]
1   Kuala Lumpur   Singapore 4,891,952 2,443,176 5,560,894 4,490,463 4,108,824 2.7
2   Cairo   Jeddah 4,795,712 3,234,683
3   Hong Kong   Taipei-Taoyuan 4,568,280 7,965,538 (#9) 6,476,268 (#8) 6,719,030 (#8)
4   Seoul-Incheon   Osaka-Kansai 4,218,484 3,210,813 2,907,199
5   Seoul-Incheon   Tokyo-Narita 4,155,418
6   Dubai   Riyadh 3,990,076 3,191,090
7   Jakarta   Singapore 3,910,502 5,480,000 4,812,342 4,810,602 3.4
8   London–Heathrow   New York–JFK 3,878,590 2,848,044 3,833,701 2,972,817
9   Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi   Singapore 3,478,474 3,832,494
10   Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi   Seoul-Incheon 3,362,968
  Dubai   London–Heathrow 2,697,593

(prev 4th)

  Dubai   Jeddah 2,425,930

(prev 6th)

  Orlando   San Juan 2,099,234

(prev 7th)

  Mumbai   Dubai 1,977,537

(prev 8th)

  Cairo   Riyadh 1,913,991

(prev 9th)

  Delhi   Dubai 1,898,749

(prev 10th)

  Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi   Hong Kong 4,826,872 3,490,988 3,438,628 3
  Hong Kong   Shanghai–Pudong 4,463,658
  Hong Kong   Seoul-Incheon 3,942,875 3,081,942 3,198,132
  Hong Kong   Manila 3,852,991 3,008,842 2,907,228
  Jakarta   Kuala Lumpur 3,798,559 3,170,193 2,812,479
  Hong Kong   Singapore 2,923,578 3,147,384 2.7
  Tokyo-Narita   Taipei-Taoyuan 2,848,925

Busiest routes by region

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Departing Arriving 2023 2022 2020 2019[4] 2018[5] 2017[8]
Asia
  Jeju   Seoul-Gimpo 13,728,786[1] 16,068,983[2] 17,426,873 14,107,414 13,460,306
Oceania
  Sydney   Melbourne 9,342,312[1] 6,989,569 9,958,500 9,245,392 9,090,941
Middle East
  Jeddah   Riyadh 7,902,142[1] 7,371,119 8,018,205 5,526,110 5,091,629
South America
  Bogotá   Medellín-Rionegro 5,706,480
Africa
  Cape Town   Johannesburg-ORT 6,072,196 4,508,214 4,698,849
North America
  Cancun   Mexico City[11] 4,803,489 2,874,267 5,009,235 4,885,602 4,656,308
  Los Angeles   San Francisco 3,928,203[12] 4,658,377
  New York JFK   Los Angeles 3,971,922 3,531,613
Europe
  Barcelona   Palma de Mallorca[13] 2,033,205 820,742 2,173,939 2,035,723 1,944,728

By aircraft movements

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The following are the lists of the world's busiest flight routes based on the number of scheduled flights in both directions. Note that these statistics do not consider the number of passengers carried.

Domestic

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Domestic
Rank Airport pair # of flights[14]
(Jan – Nov 2021)
Airlines
1   Jeju (CJU)   Seoul (GMP) 71,388 Air Busan, Air Seoul, Asiana Airlines, Eastar Jet, Hi Air, Jeju Air, Jin Air, Korean Air, T'way Air
2   Seoul (GMP)   Busan (PUS) 28,809 Air Busan, Air Seoul, Jeju Air, Jin Air, Korean Air, T'way Air
3   Jeddah (JED)   Riyadh (RUH) 24,879 Flyadeal, Flynas, Saudia
4   Fukuoka (FUK)   Tokyo (HND) 23,079 All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Skymark Airlines, StarFlyer
5   Sapporo (CTS)   Tokyo (HND) 21,851 Air Do, All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Skymark Airlines
6   Mexico City (MEX)   Cancún (CUN) 21,352 Aeroméxico, Aeroméxico Connect, Magnicharters, VivaAerobús, Volaris
7   Shanghai (SHA)   Shenzhen (SZX) 19,945 China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Juneyao Air, Shanghai Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Spring Airlines, XiamenAir
8   Beijing (PEK)   Shanghai (SHA) 18,624 Air China, China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, OTT Airlines, Shanghai Airlines
9   Hanoi (HAN)   Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) 18,342 Bamboo Airways, Pacific Airlines, VietJet Air, Vietnam Airlines, Vietravel Airlines
10   Bogotá (BOG)   Rionegro (MDE) 18,086 Avianca, LATAM, Wingo
11   Guangzhou (CAN)   Shanghai (SHA) 18,066 Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Juneyao Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Spring Airlines
12   Jeju (CJU)   Busan (PUS) 17,630 Air Busan, Jeju Air, Jin Air, Korean Air, T'way Air
13   Mumbai (BOM)   Delhi (DEL) 17,069 AirAsia India, Air India, Go First, IndiGo, SpiceJet, Vistara
14   Los Angeles (LAX)   San Francisco (SFO) 15,828 Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, American Eagle, Delta Air Lines, Delta Connection, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines
15   Okinawa (OKA)   Tokyo (HND) 15,687 All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Skymark Airlines, Solaseed Air
16   Cape Town (CPT)   Johannesburg (JNB) 15,208 Airlink, CemAir, LIFT, FlySafair, LIFT Airline, South African Airways
17   Chengdu (CTU)   Beijing (PEK) 15,180 Air China, Hainan Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines
18   Los Angeles (LAX)   Las Vegas (LAS) 15,026 Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, JSX, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, United Express, United Airlines
19   Chengdu (CTU)   Guangzhou (CAN) 14,746 Beijing Capital Airlines, Chengdu Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Sichuan Airlines
20   Bogotá (BOG)   Cali (CLO) 14,604 Avianca, LATAM, Wingo

International

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The only international route to make the Top 50 busiest routes in 2021 was between   Saint Barthélemy (SBH) and   Sint Maarten (SXM).[15]

International
Rank Airport pair # of flights[16]

(March 2018 - Feb 2019)
Airlines (2024)
1   Kuala Lumpur (KUL)   Singapore (SIN) 30,187 Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, AirAsia, Jetstar Asia, Malindo Air, Scoot, Firefly, Saudia
2   Hong Kong (HKG)   Taipei (TPE) 28,447 Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, EVA Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines,Thai Airways, Starlux Airlines , Greater Bay Airlines, United Parcel Service
3   Jakarta (CGK)   Singapore (SIN) 27,046 Singapore Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, Jetstar Asia, Indonesia AirAsia, Scoot, Batik Air
4   Hong Kong (HKG)   Shanghai (PVG) 20,678 China Eastern Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Spring Airlines, Juneyao Airlines
5   Jakarta (CGK)   Kuala Lumpur (KUL) 19,741 Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, Lion Air, Indonesia AirAsia, Malindo Airways, Garuda Indonesia, KLM , Batik Air , Citilink , TransNusa
6   Osaka (KIX)   Seoul (ICN) 19,711 Asiana Airlines, Korean Air, Jin Air, Jeju Air, Peach Aviation, Eastar Jet, T'way Air, Air Seoul , Air Busan
7   Toronto (YYZ)   New York (LGA) 17,038 Air Canada, United Airlines, Republic Airways , AirSprint , Jazz Aviation, Endeavor Air, NetJets , Delta Air Lines
8   Hong Kong (HKG)   Seoul (ICN) 15,770 Cathay Pacific, Korean Air, HK Express, Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air, Eastar Jet, T'way Air, Jin Air ,Thai Airways, Greater Bay Airlines
9   Bangkok (BKK)   Singapore (SIN) 14,698 Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Scoot, Jetstar Asia , Cathay Pacific , K-Mile Air, Nippon Cargo Airlines
10   Dubai (DXB)   Kuwait (KWI) 14,581 Emirates, Flydubai, Kuwait Airways, Jazeera Airways
11   Hong Kong (HKG)   Bangkok (BKK) 14,556 Cathay Pacific, Thai Airways, Hong Kong Airlines, Emirates, HK Express, Greater Bay Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines , Air Hong Kong , Egypt Air, K-Mile Air , Hong Kong Air Cargo , Qatar Airways Cargo[17]
12   Hong Kong (HKG)   Beijing (PEK) 14,537 Air China, Hong Kong Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Air Hong Kong
13   London (LHR)   New York (JFK) 14,195 British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, JetBlue Airways
14   Tokyo (NRT)   Taipei (TPE) 13,902 China Airlines, EVA Air, Peach Aviation, Japan Airlines, Scoot, Cathay Pacific, Jetstar Japan, Thai Lion Air, Tiger Air, Starlux , Nippon Cargo Airlines, FedEx Express
15   London (LHR)   Dublin (DUB) 13,855 Aer Lingus, British Airways
16   Osaka (KIX)   Shanghai (PVG) 13,708 China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Air China, Juneyao Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Spring Airlines, China Cargo Airlines, Peach Aviation,Shanghai Airlines
17   Hong Kong (HKG)   Singapore (SIN) 13,654 Cathay Pacific Airways, Singapore Airlines, Scoot, Air Hong Kong,Hong Kong Air Cargo , UPS Airlines
18   Toronto (YYZ)   Chicago (ORD) 13,503 Air Canada, United Airlines, Envoy Air , EVA Air, Skywest , AeroLogic, Republic Airways
19   Tokyo (NRT)   Seoul (ICN) 13,420 Asiana Airlines, Korean Air, Jeju Air, Eastar Jet, Jin Air, T'way Air, Air Japan, Zip Air, Air Premia, Air Seoul, Air Busan, Ethiopian Airlines, Japan Airline, All Nippon Airways, Kalitta Air , Aero K, Lufthansa Cargo
20   Osaka (KIX)   Taipei (TPE) 13,325 All Nippon Airways, China Airlines, EVA Air, Japan Airlines, Starlux Airlines, Tigerair Taiwan

Regional statistics

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Europe (2011–2022)

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Busiest flight routes inside the EU, UK, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway*

Data retrieved from Eurostat, 2020–2022[13]
Rank Airport 1 Airport 2 2020 2021 2022
1   Barcelona/El Prat   Palma de Mallorca 820,742 1,220,540 2,033,205
2   Madrid/Barajas   Palma de Mallorca 793,794 1,140,759 1,877,938
3   Oslo/Gardermoen   Trondheim 918,615 1,005,775 1,839,520
4   Oslo/Gardermoen   Bergen 869,489 991,026 1,737,598
5   Madrid/Barajas   Barcelona/El Prat 754,090 1,013,754 1,715,592
6   Rome/Fiumicino   Catania 648,964 1,060,641 1,541,879
7   Madrid/Barajas   Lisbon 415,465 573,206 1,538,344
8   Madrid/Barajas   Gran Canaria 638,092 937,084 1,430,978
9   Oslo/Gardermoen   Stavanger 720,102 785,512 1,392,824
10   Madrid/Barajas   Tenerife Norte 617,739 875,428 1,291,140
11   Athens/El. Venizelos   Thessaloniki/Macedonia 551,914 826,643 1.204,852
  Rome/Fiumicino   Palermo/Falcone Borsellino 549,692 741,588 1,176,181
  Oslo/Gardermoen   Tromsø 606,927 722,576
  Madrid/Barajas   Paris/Orly 460,765 707,707 1,371,546
  Paris/CDG   Nice 744,588 699,762
  Athens/El. Venizelos   Heraklion 504,120 650,400
  Athens/El. Venizelos   Larnaca 427,252 622,148
  Madrid/Barajas   Ibiza 368,182 610,232
  Amsterdam   Barcelona/El Prat 377,835 608,458
  Berlin/Brandenburg   Frankfurt/Main 382,232 574,588
  Amsterdam   Paris/CDG 495,151 574,320
  Paris/CDG   Amsterdam/Schiphol 492,723 570,825
  Athens/El. Venizelos   Santorini 294,903 569,193
  Aalborg   Copenhagen 353,196 557,869
  Berlin/Brandenburg   Palma de Mallorca 728,801 508,428
  Paris/CDG   Toulouse 521,138 497,045
  Larnaca   Athens/El. Venizelos 392,679 485,950
  Oslo/Gardermoen   Bodø 398,431 480,661
  Stockholm/Arlanda   Luleå 402,949 467,608
  Amsterdam/Schiphol   Madrid/Barajas 359,582 458,560 1,207,458
  Rome/Fiumicino   Cagliari, Sardinia 363,665 457,430
  Rome/Fiumicino   Madrid/Barajas 291,571 457,135
  Madrid/Barajas   Rome/Fiumicino 288,463 457,111 1,291,186
  Amsterdam/Schiphol   Lisbon 332,296 442,593
  Athens/El. Venizelos   Paris/CDG 297,056 435,115
  Amsterdam/Schiphol   Málaga/Costa del Sol 229,366 430,838
  Athens/El. Venizelos   Rhodes 294,090 428,845
  Athens/El. Venizelos   Chania, Crete 274,263 427,966
  Madrid/Barajas   London/Heathrow 454,469 425,692
  Paris/CDG   Barcelona/El Prat 348,322 420,862
  Paris/CDG   Bordeaux 295,201 413,802
  Madrid/Barajas   Frankfurt/Main 304,230 413,715
  Copenhagen   Oslo/Gardermoen 413,728 412,499
  Brussels   Madrid/Barajas 279,122 410,557
  Madrid/Barajas   Brussels 278,738 410,359
  Rome/Fiumicino   Paris/CDG 344,462 406,047
  Oslo/Gardermoen   Copenhagen 405,748 405,422
  Dublin   London/Heathrow 445,413 404,011
  Oslo/Gardermoen   Harstad/Narvik 319,663 403,916
  Paris/CDG   Rome/Fiumicino 343,027 402,923
Data retrieved from Eurostat, 2011–2019[13]
Rank Airport 1 Airport 2 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
1   Madrid/Barajas   Barcelona/El Prat ** 3,102,436 2,550,462 2,213,200 2,204,765 2,253,387 2,328,726 2,341,255 2,466,968 2,572,893
2   Frankfurt   Berlin/Tegel 1,792,655 1,813,063 1,845,600 1,792,006 1,907,218 1,935,465 1,956,128 2,292,098 2,249,667
3   Toulouse/Blagnac   Paris/Orly 2,322,456 2,330,224 2,379,100 2,330,949 2,318,015 2,358,917 2,325,043 2,282,407 2,217,892
4   Barcelona/El Prat   Palma de Mallorca 1,639,423 1,460,684 1,388,900 1,410,172 1,576,063 1,772,613 1,944,554 2,035,602 2,173,939
5   Oslo/Gardermoen   Trondheim 1,749,545 1,818,877 1,873,944 1,912,141 1,942,959 1,988,105 2,089,889 2,151,448 2,106,440
6   Nice   Paris/Orly 2,236,436 2,175,773 2,160,300 2,072,138 2,113,506 2,124,792 2,217,895 2,135,634 2,052,649
7   Oslo/Gardermoen   Bergen 1,691,887 1,729,076 1,722,398 1,819,279 1,810,826 1,881,960 1,985,088 2,028,680 2,003,406
8   Madrid/Barajas   Palma de Mallorca 1,604,853 1,442,410 1,224,700 1,283,404 1,411,314 1,687,547 1,815,387 1,967,136 1,995,104
9   Berlin/Tegel   Munich 1,667,408 1,731,145 1,831,700 1,868,877 1,974,929 1,939,820 1,973,008 1,988,248 1,933,817
10   London/Heathrow   Dublin 1,556,111 1,577,649 1,663,900 1,650,394 1,682,855 1,751,689 1,803,479 1,809,140 1,855,333
11   Catania/Fontanarossa   Rome/Fiumicino 1,842,940 1,694,400 1,566,800 1,869,881 1,979,648 2,054,721 2,017,172 1,976,230 [18] 1,824,428
12   Amsterdam/Schiphol   London/Heathrow 1,406,964 1,429,800 1,443,400 1,486,783 1,587,605 1,617,170 1,689,924 1,746,940 1,747,789
13   Munich   Hamburg 1,717,734 1,719,351 1,713,200 1,756,990 1,811,425 1,805,211 1,739,252 1,749,616 1,739,939
14   Oslo/Gardermoen   Stavanger 1,434,043 1,517,195 1,536,032 1,564,631 1,515,870 1,564,127 1,600,959 1,675,486 1,681,335
15   Madrid/Barajas   Gran Canaria 1,438,377 1,301,539 1,152,669 1,181,442 1,305,670 1,508,972 1,510,429 1,616,540 1,659,106
16   London/Gatwick   Barcelona/El Prat 517,820 741,735 1,131,350 1,273,850 1,354,193 1,362,488 1,460,378 1,556,045 1,586,967
17   Rome/Fiumicino   Palermo/Falcone Borsellino 1,499,933 1,360,400 1,264,100 1,475,957 1,481,174 1,543,462 1,589,733 1,663,463 [18] 1,579,946
18   Madrid/Barajas   Lisbon 1,169,714 1,108,931 975,389 1,026,786 1,174,116 1,299,412 1,427,929 1,517,620 1,557,398
19   London/Heathrow   Frankfurt 1,459,909 1,482,649 1,488,600 1,506,826 1,530,986 1,486,291 1,495,472 1,552,249 1,548,995
20   Palma de Mallorca   Düsseldorf 944,437 985,749 1,090,227 1,162,268 1,201,664 1,268,891 1,267,676 1,495,826 1,544,710
21   Madrid/Barajas   Tenerife North 1,337,050 1,167,731 1,102,701 1,094,815 1,149,450 1,305,110 1,380,916 1,487,326 1,493,755
22   Munich   Düsseldorf 1,569,364 1,553,361 1,558,200 1,527,416 1,557,442 1,565,997 1,554,184 1,422,773 1,488,322
23   Copenhagen   Oslo/Gardermoen 1,206,480 1,291,018 1,322,948 1,402,753 1,427,618 1,506,326 1,544,534 1,509,030 1,479,320
24   London/Heathrow   Madrid/Barajas 1,093,400 1,197,700 1,264,800 1,274,714 1,320,834 1,317,511 1,382,290 1,416,795 1,476,551
25   Frankfurt   Hamburg 1,587,593 1,385,867 1,362,400 1,343,857 1,361,027 1,372,185 1,395,408 1,440,312 1,426,073
26   Barcelona/El Prat   Rome/Fiumicino 1,184,506 1,315,868 1,225,834 1,332,401 1,402,757
27   Stockholm/Arlanda   Copenhagen 1,166,000 1,269,200 1,325,700 1,444,429 1,461,166 1,553,276 1,520,287 1,520,873 1,387,544
28   Barcelona/El Prat   Amsterdam/Schiphol 1,321,528 1,250,126 1,186,808 1,217,977 1,204,814 1,307,902 1,363,626 1,420,246 1,384,848
29   Stockholm/Arlanda   Oslo/Gardermoen 1,153,232 1,187,164 1,204,351 1,354,730 1,338,163 1,387,885 1,406,211 1,453,105 1,379,312
30   Barcelona/El Prat   Paris/CDG 1,279,331 1,373,128

* Figures are only available for EU countries, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway.

The UK has not reported for 2021 and parts of 2020, due to Brexit, but data is available from EU/Eurostat countries for flights to/from the UK, but not for UK domestic or UK intercontinental flights. The multiple airports of London lower the airport-to-airport figures; the busiest UK domestic route was in 2019 Heathrow – Edinburgh with 1,196,921.
Among other European (non-EU, not Switzerland, Iceland and Norway) countries, based on airport statistics, no other country than Russia, Ukraine and Turkey has domestic routes with more than 1 million passengers.
The St. Petersburg Pulkovo Airport – Moscow (three airports) route was used by 2,965,331 passengers in 2013.[19]

** 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.[20]

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

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Eurostat[13]
Rank Airport 1 Airport 2 2010 2012 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
1   London/Heathrow   New York/John F Kennedy 2,551,276 2,881,390 3,002,024 3,078,693 2,960,268 2,946,329 3,035,228 3,192,195
2   London/Heathrow   Dubai/Intl 1,974,098 2,067,227 2,838,717 2,862,852 3,038,958 3,238,308 2,732,638 2,333,127
3   Paris/CDG   New York/John F Kennedy 1,190,914 1,422,259 1,367,882 1,501,416 1,424,611 1,554,793 1,580,664 1,636,491
4   London/Heathrow   Hong Kong/Chek Lap Kok 1,801,520 1,638,834 1,608,980 1,584,486 1,574,741 1,588,805 1,572,021 1,612,530
5   London/Heathrow   Los Angeles/Intl 1,419,144 1,428,040 1,481,023 1,645,002 1,565,992 1,618,153 1,675,577 1,602,892
6   London/Heathrow   Singapore/Changi 1,507,032 1,745,186 1,247,017 1,268,407 1,314,976 1,351,980 1,590,704 1,526,639
7   Paris/Orly   Guadeloupe/Pointe-à-Pitre 1,098,322 1,077,254 1,135,945 1,166,850 1,214,916 1,227,553 1,299,570 1,429,730
8   London/Heathrow   Doha/Hamad N/A N/A 653,724 1,040,315 1,184,994 1,287,225 1,181,345 1,264,687
9   London/Heathrow   Chicago/O'Hare 1,138,579 1,188,326 1,161,250 1,060,332 1,073,522 1,062,695 1,158,537 1,250,426
10   Paris/CDG   Montreal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau 1,158,381 1,092,084 1,107,738 1,147,598 1,148,800 1,183,504 1,185,183 1,247,300

For routes from the EU, UK, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway to other countries inside Europe except to Turkey, the busiest was in 2019 Paris/CDG – Moscow/Sheremetyevo with 830,980.

Busiest flight routes in or from Europe by city pairs

Eurostat[13]
Rank City 1 City 2 Passengers (2016) Passengers (2019)
1   London   Dublin 4,771,614 5,106,040
2   Moscow   Saint Petersburg 3,836,588 5,051,518[21]
3   London   Amsterdam 4,344,935 4,920,551
4   London   New York 4,243,687 4,869,777
5   London   Dubai 3,960,389 3,630,407
6   London   Barcelona 3,125,080 3,490,189
7   London   Edinburgh 3,393,013 3,373,092
8   Paris   Toulouse 3,260,074 3,218,040
9   Paris   Nice 2,975,405 3,184,661
10   London   Madrid 3,142,916
  • London includes City, Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton, Stansted and Southend airports..
  • New York includes Kennedy and Newark airports
  • Paris includes Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Orly airports.
  • Barcelona includes El Prat and Girona airports.
  • Berlin includes Schönefeld (from 2020 Brandenburg) and Tegel airports.
  • Moscow includes Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo airports.
  • Turkey is not included even if Istanbul – Izmir has (as of 2019) more passengers than London – Dublin, because all its domestic routes are mostly or entirely inside Asia.

Brazil (2022)

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Busiest domestic flight routes in Brazil:[22]

Rank Airport 1 Airport 2 Passengers (2022)
1 Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont São Paulo-Congonhas 2,978,669
2 Porto Alegre São Paulo-Congonhas 1,630,763
3 Brasília São Paulo-Congonhas 1,565,820
4 Recife São Paulo-Guarulhos 1,545,757
5 Porto Alegre São Paulo-Guarulhos 1,524,626
6 Belo Horizonte São Paulo-Congonhas 1,494,260
7 Salvador São Paulo-Congonhas 1,290,367
8 Belo Horizonte São Paulo-Guarulhos 1,234,256
9 Recife São Paulo-Congonhas 1,169,156
10 Brasília Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont 1,142,563

Argentina (2017)

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Busiest international flight routes in Argentina:[23]

Rank Airport 1 Airport 2 Passengers (2017)
1   Buenos Aires   Santiago de Chile 2,027,000
2   Buenos Aires   São Paulo 1,903,000
3   Buenos Aires   Miami 1,001,000
4   Buenos Aires   Rio de Janeiro 938,000
5   Buenos Aires   Lima 896,000
6   Buenos Aires   Madrid 815,000
7   Mendoza   Santiago de Chile 425,000
8   Buenos Aires   Bogotá 372,000
9   Buenos Aires   Rome 332,000
10   Buenos Aires   New York 329,000

Busiest domestic flight routes in Argentina:[23]

Rank Airport 1 Airport 2 Passengers (2017)
1   Buenos Aires   Córdoba 1,368,000
2   Buenos Aires - Aeroparque   Bariloche 1,005,000
3   Buenos Aires - Aeroparque   Mendoza 880,000
4   Buenos Aires - Aeroparque   Iguazú 841,000
5   Buenos Aires - Aeroparque   Salta 828,000
6   Buenos Aires - Aeroparque   Neuquén 722,000
7   Buenos Aires - Aeroparque   Tucumán 501,000
8   Buenos Aires - Aeroparque   Ushuaia 490,000
9   Buenos Aires - Aeroparque   Comodoro Rivadavia 462,000
10   Buenos Aires - Aeroparque   El Calafate 383,000

Australia (2019)

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Busiest domestic flight routes in Australia[24] (all passengers including connecting):

Rank Airport 1 Airport 2 Passengers (2019)
1   Melbourne   Sydney 9,181,932
2   Brisbane   Sydney 4,820,704
3   Brisbane   Melbourne 3,608,479
4   Gold Coast   Sydney 2,733,449
5   Adelaide   Melbourne 2,538,061
6   Gold Coast   Melbourne 2,122,157
7   Melbourne   Perth 2,110,125
8   Adelaide   Sydney 1,878,741
9   Perth   Sydney 1,692,031
10   Melbourne   Hobart 1,670,181

Busiest international flight routes in Australia[25] (all passengers including connecting):

Rank Australian airport Overseas airport Passengers (2019)
1   Melbourne   Singapore 1,629,492
2   Sydney   Auckland 1,602,232
3   Sydney   Singapore 1,537,148
4   Melbourne   Auckland 1,251,457
5   Sydney   Hong Kong 1,195,224
6   Perth   Singapore 1,131,233
7   Brisbane   Singapore 964,447
8   Brisbane   Auckland 955,385
9   Sydney   Los Angeles 908,540
10   Perth   Denpasar 893,420

Colombia (2017)

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Busiest domestic flight routes in Colombia:[26]

Rank Airport 1 Airport 2 Passengers (2017)
1
 
Bogotá
 
Medellín
3,013,297
2
 
Bogotá
 
Cartagena
2,433,483
3
 
Bogotá
 
Cali
2,083,833
4
 
Bogotá
 
Barranquilla
1,435,766
5
 
Bogotá
 
Santa Marta
1,151,101
6
 
Bogotá
 
Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina
951,880
7
 
Bogotá
 
Bucaramanga
942,793
8
 
Bogotá
 
Pereira
849,118
9
 
Cartagena
 
Medellín
738,699
10
 
Bogotá
 
Montería
568,500

Busiest international flight routes in Colombia:[26]

Rank Airport 1 Airport 2 Passengers (2017)
1   Bogotá   Panama City 698,916
2   Bogotá   Mexico City 533,444
3   Bogotá   Lima 470,514
4   Bogotá   Miami 469,899
5   Bogotá   Madrid 447,470
6   Bogotá   Quito 391,586
7   Bogotá   Santiago de Chile 366,904
8   Medellín   Panama City 366,630
9   Bogotá   Buenos Aires 333,481
10   Bogotá   Cancún 306,905

India (2019–2021)

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Busiest domestic flight routes from/to Indian cities:

2020–2021[27]
Rank City pair Passengers
1   Delhi   Mumbai 1,430,543
2   Kolkata   Bengaluru 1,262,780
3   Delhi   Srinagar 1,261,630
4   Delhi   Bengaluru 1,240,378
5   Delhi   Patna 1,072,840
6   Delhi   Hyderabad 1,065,132
7   Delhi   Kolkata 938,388
8   Delhi   Pune 809,773
9   Delhi   Goa 765,398
10   Delhi   Guwahati 747,471
11   Delhi   Chennai 739,220
12   Mumbai   Goa 730,108
13   Delhi   Ahmedabad 711,690
14   Mumbai   Bengaluru 691,598
15   Kolkata   Hyderabad 674,027
2019–2020[28]
Rank City pair Passengers
1   Delhi   Mumbai 6,996,834
2   Delhi   Bengaluru 4,351,143
3   Mumbai   Bengaluru 3,954,618
4   Delhi   Kolkata 3,199,982
5   Delhi   Hyderabad 2,936,141
6   Delhi   Pune 2,604,253
7   Mumbai   Hyderabad 2,538,612
8   Delhi   Chennai 2,323,511
9   Mumbai   Goa 2,192,536
10   Delhi   Ahmedabad 2,184,190
11   Mumbai   Chennai 2,142,980
12   Delhi   Patna 2,133,939
13   Mumbai   Kolkata 2,012,039
14   Bengaluru   Hyderabad 2,002,020
15   Delhi   Goa 1,863,918

Busiest international flight routes from/to Indian cities:

2019[29][30][31][32]
Rank City pair Passengers
1   Mumbai   Dubai 2,378,916
2   Delhi   Dubai 1,966,260
3   Delhi   Bangkok 1,093,580
4   Hyderabad   Dubai 1,068,343
5   Kochi   Dubai 1,037,314
6   Chennai   Dubai 1,017,254
7   Chennai   Colombo 940,521
8   Bengaluru   Dubai 865,088
9   Chennai   Singapore 855,420
10   Delhi   London 850,170
11   Mumbai   Singapore 824,590
12   Delhi   Kathmandu 767,262
13   Mumbai   Abu Dhabi 751,112
14   Delhi   Singapore 750,562
15   Delhi   Hong Kong 743,817

Mexico (2018–2023)

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Busiest domestic flight routes in Mexico (passengers):[11]

Rank Airport 1 Airport 2 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 % change
1   Mexico City   Cancun 4,990,647 5,009,235 2,874,267 4,546,906 4,803,489 4,335,174   -9.75%
2   Monterrey   Mexico City 3,452,421 3,601,937 1,563,243 2,244,156 3,180,969 3,404,529   7.03%
3   Mexico City   Guadalajara 3,167,438 3,386,521 1,536,441 1,940,131 2,916,413 3,012,874   3.31%
4   Tijuana   Mexico City 1,964,460 2,151,343 1,307,478 2,133,168 2,519,260 2,300,547   -8.68%
5   Tijuana   Guadalajara 1,783,149 1,748,213 1,301,775 1,825,055 2,209,718 2,142,087   -3.06%
6   Mexico City   Mérida 1,686,256 1,851,414 909,396 1,416,257 1,943,683 1,896,586   -2.42%
7   Monterrey   Cancún 1,282,777 1,386,056 822,601 1,458,920 1,650,289 1,810,719   9.72%
8   Puerto Vallarta   Mexico City 956,419 1,094,694 575,158 1,008,024 1,333,474 1,140,366   -14.48%
9   Guadalajara   Cancún 947,599 885,881 635,422 1,051,887 1,026,505 1,098,997   7.06%
10   San José del Cabo   Mexico City 844,785 971,016 594,263 994,510 1,215,421 1,071,051   -11.88%

Busiest international flight routes from/to Mexico (passengers):

Rank Airport 1 Airport 2 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 % change
1   Cancun   Dallas/Fort Worth 779,235 840,800 507,946 1,026,047 1,215,860 1,160,043   -4.59%
2   Cancun   Houston/Intercontinental 868,115 856,952 504,622 930,801 1,112,498 1,137,242   2.22%
3   Guadalajara   Los Angeles 993,213 994,822 530,232 787,850 903,149 1,079,804   19.56%
4   Mexico City   Madrid 779,777 880,988 265,919 504,962 900,028 1,030,882   14.54%
5   Cancun   Chicago/O'Hare 809,898 763,830 409,671 806,188 992,998 1,011,503   1.86%
6   Mexico City   Bogotá 849,590 866,896 233,726 432,080 912,549 925,729   1.44%
7   Mexico City   Los Angeles 1,236,168 1,044,786 379,603 771,673 846,757 891,713   5.31%
8   Mexico City   Houston/Intercontinental 1,049,838 831,729 332,243 961,069 879,133 889,431   1.17%
9   Cancun   Atlanta 721,936 706,409 303,913 586,573 759,622 884,252   16.41%
10   Cancun   Toronto-Pearson 801,544 822,744 298,135 119,334 546,583 772,937   41.41%

Turkey (2019)

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Busiest domestic and international flight routes:[13]

Rank Airport 1 Airport 2 Passengers (2019)
1   Istanbul/Sabiha Gökçen   Izmir 2,751,298
2   Istanbul/Sabiha Gökçen   Antalya 2,616,991
3   Antalya   Moscow/Vnukovo 2,329,578
4   Istanbul/Sabiha Gökçen   Ankara 2,184,197
5   Istanbul/Havalimani   Izmir 1,849,317
6   Istanbul/Sabiha Gökçen   Trabzon 1,579,391
7   Istanbul/Havalimani   Antalya 1,524,256
8   Istanbul/Havalimani   Tehran 1,460,900
9   Istanbul/Sabiha Gökçen   Adana 1,448,183
10   Istanbul/Havalimani   Ankara 1,411,924

In 2019, the AtatürkIzmir route had 728,279 passengers as the old Istanbul airport in Atatürk was also serving the traffic during this year. The new Istanbul airport in Havalimani opened on 6 April 2019.

United States (September 2014 – August 2015)

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Busiest flight routes by city pairs within the United States:[33]

The statistics below are based on metro areas, not individual airports.

Rank City 1 City 2 Passengers
(Sep 2014 – Aug 2015)
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

See also

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1 Includes very detailed statistics regarding busiest passenger flight routes to/from and within this region

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Busiest Flight Routes in the World 2023 | OAG". www.oag.com. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  2. ^ a b c "Busiest Routes 2022" (PDF). OAG. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  3. ^ "World's Busiest Airline Routes of 2021". OAG. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "Busiest Routes 2020" (PDF). OAG. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "Busiest routes in the world - the top 100". Routesonline. 22 September 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
  6. ^ "These are the top 100 busiest routes on earth". RoutesOnline. September 2018.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Australian Domestic Aviation Activity Annual Publications". bitre.gov.au. 22 April 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Busiest passenger flight routes in the world revealed". 13 September 2018.
  9. ^ "Top 10 world's busiest flight routes". Phuket: The Thaiger. 2018-10-19. Retrieved 2018-11-05.
  10. ^ "60th Edition of IATA World Air Transport Statistics Released" (Press release). Montreal: International Air Transport Association. July 5, 2016.
  11. ^ a b "Traffic Statistics by City Pairs". Aviation Statistics. Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil. 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  12. ^ "SFO Fact Sheet - Calendar Year 2022". www.flysfo.com/. San Francisco International Airport. Retrieved 26 November 2023. 12.2% of enplaned and deplaned domestic passengers
  13. ^ a b c d e f Eurostat>Transport>Data>Database Search the "avia_par_fr", "avia_par_no" etc datasets (accessed May 2022)
  14. ^ "The Cirium Airline Insights Review 2021" (PDF). Cirium. p. 9. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  15. ^ "What Were The Busiest Routes In 2021?". 28 December 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  16. ^ OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited (2019-04-10). Busiest routes 2019 (PDF) (Report). OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
  17. ^ QTR8438 BKK-HKG
  18. ^ a b "Dati di Traffico 2018" (PDF) (in Italian). ENAC. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  19. ^ "Airport Indicators". Pulkovo Airport.
  20. ^ West-to-East traffic shift continues for summer 2012 | EUROCONTROL. Eurocontrol.int. Retrieved on 2013-07-16.
  21. ^ Airport Indicators (refers to 2019)
  22. ^ "Consulta Interativa – Indicadores do Mercado de Transporte Aéreo". Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC) (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  23. ^ a b "Anuario Estadístico 2017" (PDF). EANA - Navegación Aérea Argentina. 2017. p. 46. Retrieved 2018-12-16.
  24. ^ "Australian Domestic Airline Activity 2019" (PDF). Aviation Statistics. Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics. 2020. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  25. ^ "Australian International Airline Activity 2019" (PDF). Aviation Statistics. Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics. 2020. p. 10. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  26. ^ a b "Bases de Datos / Origen - Destino / Base de Datos Origen-Destino Enero - Diciembre 2017 / Cuadro 1.6 y 1.8" (XLSX). Ministerio de Transporte. 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-16.
  27. ^ "City pairwise scheduled domestic passenger traffic statistics for the year 2020-2021" (PDF). www.dgca.gov.in. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-07-29. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  28. ^ "City pairwise scheduled domestic passenger traffic statistics for the year 2019-2020" (PDF). www.dgca.gov.in. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-07-29. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  29. ^ "City pairwise international passenger and freight statistics to & from the Indian territory [Jan - Mar 2019]" (PDF). www.dgca.gov.in. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  30. ^ "City pairwise international passenger and freight statistics to & from the Indian territory [April - June 2019]" (PDF). www.dgca.gov.in. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  31. ^ "City pairwise international passenger and freight statistics to & from the Indian territory [July - Sep 2019]" (PDF). www.dgca.gov.in. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  32. ^ "City pairwise international passenger and freight statistics to & from the Indian territory [Oct - Dec 2019]" (PDF). www.dgca.gov.in. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  33. ^ "Bureau of Transportation Statistics". United States Department of Transportation.