The Busiest Flight Routes Globally in 2023

Singapore's Changi Airport is frequently praised as the top airport in the world, and it is also among the busiest. According to travel intelligence company OAG's annual ranking of the busiest international flight routes, three of the top 10 routes involve Singapore: connecting with Bangkok (in eighth place), Jakarta (landing in seventh), and Kuala Lumpur (at the top of the list).

This data is solely based on the number of seats sold on flights in 2023. The most popular route, from Malaysia's capital to Singapore, had a total of 4.9 million seats purchased. The flight, which lasts just over an hour, is favored by commuters who prefer to travel between the two neighboring countries by air rather than by car.

Almost all of the top 10 busiest routes are in Asia and the Middle East, with the exception of the New York-London route. OAG points out that the JFK to Heathrow trip was the only flight route in the top 10 that saw an increase in total capacity from 2019.

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He had exhausted all the countries on his travel list, so he decided to make his own.

In terms of domestic air travel, Asia holds the top spots, with Japan leading the way. The busiest domestic routes are between Tokyo and the popular destinations of Fukuoka, Sapporo, and Okinawa, known for their food, winter sports, and beach tourism, respectively.

In the meantime, some of the most heavily traveled routes connected major cities in large countries, such as China (Beijing and Shanghai) and Australia (Melbourne and Sydney).

In addition, OAG highlighted a few routes outside of the top 10. The busiest domestic air route in the United States was not New York to Los Angeles, but rather Honolulu to Kahului in Hawaii, linking the islands of Oahu and Maui. 3.6 million seats were sold along that route, although it is uncertain if the devastating fires in Maui led to a decrease in ticket sales at the end of 2023.

The intra-California jaunt from San Francisco to Los Angeles ranked number one in the US in 2019 but fell to sixth place in 2023.

The 10 busiest international flight routes of 2023

1. Kuala Lumpur to Singapore

2. Cairo to Jeddah

3. Hong Kong to Taipei

4. Seoul Incheon to Osaka Kansai

5. Seoul Incheon to Tokyo Narita

6. Dubai to Riyadh

7. Jakarta to Singapore

8. New York Kennedy to London Heathrow

9. Bangkok Suvarnabhumi to Singapore

10. Bangkok Suvarnabhumi to Seoul Incheon

1. Fly from Jeju (CJU) to Seoul Gimpo (GMP)

2. Travel from Sapporo New Chitose (CTS) to Tokyo Haneda (HND)

3. Book a flight from Fukuoka (FUK) to Tokyo Haneda (HND)

4. Fly from Hanoi (HAN) to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN)

5. Travel from Melbourne (MEL) to Sydney (SYD)

6. Book a flight from Beijing (PEK) to Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA)

7. Fly from Tokyo Haneda (HND) to Okinawa Naha (OKA)

8. Travel from Jeddah (JED) to Riyadh (RUH)

9. Book a flight from Mumbai (BOM) to Delhi (DEL)

10. Fly from Jakarta (CGK) to Bali Denpasar (DPS)