The Ten Busiest International Air Routes

Although very difficult to pin down exactly because of the numerous different methods one can use to calculate them (by number of flights, by seat capacity, by number of passengers), an article last year outlining the busiest air routes in 2013 based on passenger numbers according to IATA makes for interesting reading.

The top ten were:

1. Hong Kong to Taipei
2. Dublin to London
3. Jakarta to Singapore
4. Seoul to Tokyo
5. London to New York
6. Amsterdam to London
7. London to Milan
8. Honolulu to Tokyo
9. New York to Toronto
10. New York to Paris

The fact that the number one spot is occupied by an inter-Asian route is hugely indicative of the growing importance of the far east to the aviation industry, equally applicable to the private aviation market as it is to the commercial aviation market. Somewhat surprising is the presence of the Dublin – London route in position two, which goes some way to highlighting the close ties between London and the rest of the UK, and Ireland.

Both London and New York appear on the list three times, underscoring their position as two of the world’s busiest airports, more surprising perhaps is the omission of any key Middle-Eastern destination and hub airports such as Dubai or Doha. Based on total passenger numbers, Dubai International airport was the seventh busiest airport globally in 2014 however, so it will be interesting to keep an eye on the busiest aviation routes in 2014 when the information becomes available to see if its growing stature is reflected in the worlds most frequently travelled routes.