© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
World’s Busiest Flight Routes in 2025: The global aviation industry is on a consistent upward trend, as highlighted by a recent report from the Airports Council International (ACI) that anticipates substantial long-term growth in worldwide passenger traffic over the next three decades.
According to the report, global passenger numbers are projected to reach approximately 17.7 billion by 2043, rising to 22.3 billion by 2053—nearly 2.4 times the expected volume for 2024.
This substantial rise in global air travel demand is likely to result in the expansion and diversification of flight routes to meet the increasing needs.
Notably, the Asia Pacific region dominates the list of the world’s busiest domestic airline routes, with only one route from the Middle East—specifically Jeddah (JED) to Riyadh (RUH)—making the list.
This route has also seen the largest capacity increase compared to last year, with 14% more seats added.
Furthermore, India’s busiest flight route—Mumbai-Delhi—has been ranked as the eighth busiest domestic route globally in 2025, retaining its last year’s rank.
For international airline routes, the Asia Pacific region again leads, accounting for nine of the busiest routes, and only one route connecting Africa to the Middle East, that is Cairo to Jeddah (CAI-JED).
It has experienced a 5% increase in the number of available seats compared to the previous year.
A recent report from OAG details the busiest domestic and international air travel routes for March 2025; enlisted below are the top 10 busiest global flight routes—domestic and international, for March 2025.
As of March 2025, the domestic route from Jeju (CJU) to Seoul (GMP) continues to hold the title of the busiest in the world, accommodating 1.1 million seats.
However, it witnessed a 12% reduction compared to March 2024, witnessing the most significant year-on-year decline in capacity among the top ten routes.
Additionally, the route from Shanghai (SHA) to Shenzhen (SZX) has entered the top ten this year, claiming the tenth position with 640,923 seats, while the route from Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN) to Shanghai (SHA) has fallen out of the rankings.
| Rank | Route | Route Name | Passengers | Country |
| 1 | CJU-GMP | Jeju International – Seoul Gimpo | 1,051,750 | South Korea |
| 2 | CTS-HND | Sapporo New Chitose – Tokyo Haneda | 1,032,880 | Japan |
| 3 | FUK-HND | Fukuoka – Tokyo Haneda | 1,001,967 | Japan |
| 4 | HAN-SGN | Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh City | 901,635 | Vietnam |
| 5 | JED-RUH | Jeddah – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | 881,578 | Saudi Arabia |
| 6 | MEL-SYD | Melbourne – Sydney, Australia | 756,904 | Australia |
| 7 | HND-OKA | Tokyo Haneda – Okinawa Naha | 679,386 | Japan |
| 8 | BOM-DEL | Mumbai – Delhi | 664,698 | India |
| 9 | PEK-SHA | Beijing – Shanghai Hongqiao | 645,476 | China |
| 10 | SHA-SZX | Shanghai Hongqiao – Shenzhen | 640,923 | China |
Source: OAG
The route from Fukuoka (FUK) to Seoul Incheon (ICN) has ascended into the top 10 busiest international connections, exhibiting a significant 20% increase in seating capacity compared to the previous year, thus securing the tenth position.
In contrast, the routes from Bangkok (BKK) to Seoul Incheon (ICN) and New York (JFK) to London Heathrow (LHR) have fallen out of the rankings.
| Rank | Route | Route Name | Seats | Country |
| 1 | HKG-TPE | Hong Kong – Taipei | 621,341 | Hong Kong / Taiwan |
| 2 | CAI-JED | Cairo – Jeddah | 549,807 | Egypt / Saudi Arabia |
| 3 | KUL-SIN | Kuala Lumpur – Singapore Changi | 472,926 | Malaysia / Singapore |
| 4 | ICN-NRT | Seoul Incheon – Tokyo Narita | 469,837 | South Korea / Japan |
| 5 | ICN-KIX | Seoul Incheon – Osaka Kansai | 428,027 | South Korea / Japan |
| 6 | BKK-HKG | Bangkok – Hong Kong | 376,273 | Thailand / Hong Kong |
| 7 | CGK-SIN | Jakarta – Singapore Changi | 368,927 | Indonesia / Singapore |
| 8 | BKK-SIN | Bangkok – Singapore Changi | 343,563 | Thailand / Singapore |
| 9 | NRT-TPE | Tokyo Narita – Taipei | 337,971 | Japan / Taiwan |
| 10 | FUK-ICN | Fukuoka – Seoul Incheon | 335,466 | Japan / South Korea |
Source: OAG
Methodology:
The busiest air routes are characterised by the highest number of scheduled airline seats available for the month, with the analysis considering flights operating in both directions on each route.
The data is obtained from the OAG Schedules Analyser during the initial week of each month, highlighting the most active domestic and international aviation routes.
