The Kuala Lumpur-Singapore route, which was the world’s busiest last year, has lost its crown to another regional city pair.

If you think planes have become more crowded and the skies busier over the past year, you’re not mistaken – especially if you’re in Hong Kong or Taipei.

Travel intelligence firm OAG has unveiled its annual list of the world’s busiest flight routes, and the short 105-minute journey between Hong Kong and Taipei has reclaimed its position as the most popular international route. Nearly 7 million seats are on offer for this route in 2024.

TOPPING THE CHARTS

The exact figure of 6,781,577 available seats marks a return to pre-pandemic levels of demand for the Hong Kong-Taipei route, which also led the rankings in 2019. After slipping to third place in 2023, it has climbed back to the top spot.

By comparison, last year’s busiest route was Singapore-Kuala Lumpur, offering 4.9 million seats. That route slipped to fourth place for 2024.

In second place for 2024 is the Cairo-Jeddah route, with nearly 5.5 million seats. This Egypt-Saudi Arabia connection has experienced remarkable growth, rising from 14th place in 2019 to the second spot in 2023 and maintaining that position this year.

THE REST OF THE TOP 10

Two South Korean routes secured third and fifth places: Seoul Incheon-Tokyo Narita and Seoul Incheon-Osaka Kansai. Singapore Changi Airport featured prominently as well, with routes to Kuala Lumpur (4th), Jakarta (8th), and Bangkok (9th) making the top 10.

The Middle East, Europe, and the US also made an appearance. Dubai-Riyadh ranked 6th, while the transatlantic New York JFK-London Heathrow route rounded out the top 10.

OTHER REGIONAL INSIGHTS

• Africa: Cairo served as the continent’s hub, with routes from the Egyptian capital occupying the top five slots for Africa.
• Europe: London Heathrow led the European rankings, with JFK-LHR taking first place, followed by connections to Dubai and Dublin in second and fourth place.
• Latin America: San Juan-Orlando topped the list (which includes the Caribbean, Central America, and South America), followed by Lima-Santiago.
• Middle East: Jeddah-Cairo and Dubai-Riyadh claimed the top spots in the region. Jeddah-Riyadh is the fastest-growing route in the top 10, with a 10% increase in capacity to 8.7 million seats.

AIR TRAVEL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

It’s not all rosy, though. While the growing passenger numbers highlight a recovery in global air travel, the environmental implications are troubling. According to the Air Transport Action Group, aviation contributed 2.1% of manmade carbon emissions in 2022 and accounted for 3.5% of all planet-warming emissions. Matteo Mirolo from Transport & Environment has cautioned that unchecked growth in aviation could make it a major contributor to climate change.

“If we don’t do anything now, in a few years aviation will be one of the most significant contributing factors,” he warned. “We shouldn’t look at the snapshot now. We should look at the forecast.”

Current data from the International Council on Clean Transportation shows that flight emissions constitute 2.35% of global emissions, or 2.87% when including upstream emissions related to jet fuel production.

2024’s BUSIEST INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT ROUTES

1. Hong Kong – Taipei
2. Cairo – Jeddah
3. Seoul Incheon – Tokyo Narita
4. Kuala Lumpur – Singapore Changi
5. Seoul Incheon – Osaka Kansai
6. Dubai – Riyadh
7. Bangkok – Hong Kong
8. Jakarta – Singapore Changi
9. Bangkok – Singapore Changi
10. New York JFK – London Heathrow

DOMESTIC ROUTE LEADERS

Jeju-Seoul has retained its title as the world’s busiest domestic route.

In fact, Asia dominated the rankings for domestic routes, with the top three globally located in the region:

1. Jeju International – Seoul Gimpo: 14.2 million seats (nearly 39,000 daily).
2. Sapporo New Chitose – Tokyo Haneda.
3. Fukuoka – Tokyo Haneda.