Busiest flight routes in the world

Which are the world's busiest flight routes?

August 2026

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OAG · Busiest Routes Right Now · August 2026
Busiest Routes Right Now  • 
Jeju to Seoul
is the world's
busiest route
1.18 million seats  •  CJU to GMP
Busiest domestic route
CJU → GMP
Jeju International to Seoul Gimpo
1.18m
−4% YoY
Busiest international route
HKG → TPE
Hong Kong to Taipei
589k
+1% YoY
Fastest growing route (global intl)
ICN → NRT
Seoul to Tokyo Narita — year-on-year
+27%
+118k seats

What are the world's busiest domestic flight routes?

The World’s Busiest Domestic route in August 2026 is Jeju International (CJU) to Seoul Gimpo (GMP), offering 1.18 million seats, despite capacity declining by 4% compared with August 2025. Sapporo New Chitose (CTS) to Tokyo Haneda (HND) is in second place with 1.12 million seats, recording 6% growth year-on-year. Japan’s Fukuoka (FUK) to Tokyo Haneda (HND) ranks third with 998k seats, increasing capacity by 3%, while Jeddah (JED) to Riyadh (RUH) climbs to fourth with 964k seats, posting 10% growth. Hanoi (HAN) to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) completes the top five with 955k seats, growing by 7% compared with August 2025. Mumbai (BOM) to Delhi (DEL) records the strongest growth among the global top ten, increasing capacity by 34% to 763k seats and climbing to sixth place. Melbourne (MEL) to Sydney (SYD) ranks seventh with 722k seats, declining by 7%, the largest decrease among the leading ten routes. Tokyo Haneda (HND) to Okinawa Naha (OKA) follows in eighth with 687k seats, down 3%, while Beijing (PEK) to Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) ranks ninth with 622k seats, increasing capacity by 4%. Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) to Shenzhen (SZX) rounds out the top ten with 601k seats, recording a 4% decline compared with August 2025.

Scheduled seats • August 2026 • bidirectional • hover a route for details

Top 10 global domestic routes

Route (thickness = seats) Airport
RouteSectorSeatsYoY
1.CJU-GMPJeju – Seoul Gimpo1.18m−4%
2.CTS-HNDSapporo – Tokyo Haneda1.12m+6%
3.FUK-HNDFukuoka – Tokyo Haneda998k+3%
4.JED-RUHJeddah – Riyadh964k+10%
5.HAN-SGNHanoi – Ho Chi Minh City955k+7%
6.BOM-DELMumbai – Delhi763k+34%
7.MEL-SYDMelbourne – Sydney722k−7%
8.HND-OKATokyo Haneda – Okinawa687k−3%
9.PEK-SHABeijing – Shanghai Hongqiao622k+4%
10.SHA-SZXShanghai Hongqiao – Shenzhen601k−4%
Source: OAG Schedules Analyser · August 2026 · bidirectional seat volumes

What are the world's busiest international flight routes?

Hong Kong (HKG) to Taipei (TPE) continues to be the World’s Busiest International route in August 2026, offering 589k seats and recording 1% growth compared with August 2025. Seoul Incheon (ICN) to Tokyo Narita (NRT) retains second place with 557k seats, posting strong 27% year-on-year growth. Seoul Incheon (ICN) to Osaka Kansai (KIX) remains third with 473k seats, increasing capacity by 17%, while Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Singapore Changi (SIN) ranks fourth with 447k seats, recording a 3% decline compared with last year. Cairo (CAI) to Jeddah (JED) completes the top five with 436k seats, declining by 5% year-on-year.

Scheduled seats • August 2026 • bidirectional • hover a route for details

Top 10 global international routes

Route (thickness = seats) Airport
RouteSectorSeatsYoY
1.HKG-TPEHong Kong – Taipei589k+1%
2.ICN-NRTSeoul Incheon – Tokyo Narita557k+27%
3.ICN-KIXSeoul Incheon – Osaka Kansai473k+17%
4.KUL-SINKuala Lumpur – Singapore Changi447k−3%
5.CAI-JEDCairo – Jeddah436k−5%
6.CAI-RUHCairo – Riyadh412k+27%
7.CGK-SINJakarta – Singapore Changi383k~0%
8.NRT-TPETokyo Narita – Taipei351k+3%
9.FUK-ICNFukuoka – Seoul Incheon332k+9%
10.BKK-HKGBangkok – Hong Kong330k−8%
Source: OAG Schedules Analyser · August 2026 · bidirectional seat volumes

The remainder of the top ten international routes presents a mixed performance. Cairo (CAI) to Riyadh (RUH) climbs to sixth place with 412k seats, recording 27% growth, jointly the strongest increase among the world’s top ten international routes. Jakarta (CGK) to Singapore Changi (SIN) ranks seventh with 383k seats, with capacity remaining broadly unchanged compared with August 2025. Tokyo Narita (NRT) to Taipei (TPE) continues to be one of the leading Asia-Pacific international markets, increasing 3% to 351k seats in eighth place. Fukuoka (FUK) to Seoul Incheon (ICN) enters the top ten in ninth place with 332k seats, recording 9% growth year-on-year. Bangkok (BKK) to Hong Kong (HKG) rounds out the rankings with 330k seats, declining by 8%, the largest decrease among the top ten international routes.

Asia Pacific continues to dominate the international market in August 2026, accounting for eight of the world’s ten busiest international routes. Seoul Incheon (ICN) remains a key regional hub, featuring in two of the top three routes and adding a third route to the top ten through Fukuoka (FUK) to Seoul Incheon (ICN). Hong Kong (HKG), Singapore (SIN) and Taipei (TPE) continue to underpin some of the world’s largest international aviation markets. Outside Asia Pacific, Cairo (CAI) to Jeddah (JED) and Cairo (CAI) to Riyadh (RUH) highlight the continued strength of the Middle East–Africa market, with the latter recording one of the fastest growth rates among the leading international routes.

What are China's busiest domestic flight routes?

Beijing (PEK) to Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) remains China’s Busiest Domestic route in August 2026, offering 622k seats and recording 4% growth compared with August 2025. Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) to Shenzhen (SZX) retains second place with 601k seats, although capacity falls by 4% year-on-year. Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN) to Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) ranks third with 585k seats, increasing capacity by 9%, while Chengdu (CTU) to Beijing (PEK) climbs to fourth with 487k seats, recording a strong 22% increase. Beijing (PEK) to Shenzhen (SZX) completes the top five with 481k seats, growing by 5%. Further down the rankings, Hangzhou (HGH) to Shenzhen (SZX) records the strongest growth among China’s top ten routes, surging 26% to 412k seats in sixth place. Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN) to Hangzhou (HGH) follows in seventh with 381k seats, increasing by 6%, while Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN) to Beijing Daxing (PKX) ranks eighth with 368k seats, posting 15% growth. In contrast, Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN) to Beijing (PEK) is the only route in the top ten to record a decline, falling 6% to 342k seats. Chengdu (CTU) to Shenzhen (SZX) rounds out the rankings with 318k seats, increasing by 6% compared with August 2025.

Source: OAG Schedules Analyser · August 2026

What are the USA's busiest domestic flight routes?

Los Angeles (LAX) to San Francisco (SFO) remains the USA’s Busiest Domestic route in August 2026, offering 353k seats and recording a 27% increase compared with August 2025, the strongest growth among the country’s largest domestic routes. New York La Guardia (LGA) to Chicago O’Hare (ORD) ranks second with 319k seats, growing by 9%, while New York JFK (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX) remains third with 312k seats, increasing by 3% year-on-year. Los Angeles (LAX) to Chicago O’Hare (ORD) climbs to fourth with 294k seats, posting 12% growth, while Atlanta (ATL) to Orlando (MCO) completes the top five with 266k seats, up 6%. Boston (BOS) to Chicago O’Hare (ORD) records the second-strongest growth among the top ten, rising 23% to 255k seats in sixth place. Denver (DEN) to Phoenix (PHX) ranks seventh with 236k seats, increasing by 12%, while Honolulu (HNL) to Kahului (OGG) is eighth with 235k seats, declining by 8%. Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Chicago O’Hare (ORD) follows in ninth with 233k seats, recording 20% growth, while Las Vegas (LAS) to Los Angeles (LAX) completes the top ten with 231k seats, falling 20%, the largest decline among the leading domestic routes.

Route 1
LAX→SFO
Los Angeles – San Francisco
352,567 seats
+27%
Route 2
LGA→ORD
New York La Guardia – Chicago O'Hare
318,980 seats
+9%
Route 3
JFK→LAX
New York JFK – Los Angeles
312,178 seats
+3%
Route 4
LAX→ORD
Los Angeles – Chicago O'Hare
293,611 seats
+12%
Route 5
ATL→MCO
Atlanta – Orlando
265,704 seats
+6%
Route 6
BOS→ORD
Boston – Chicago O'Hare
254,932 seats
+23%
Route 7
DEN→PHX
Denver – Phoenix
235,904 seats
+12%
Route 8
HNL→OGG
Honolulu – Kahului
234,554 seats
−8%
Route 9
DFW→ORD
Dallas/Fort Worth – Chicago O'Hare
233,264 seats
+20%
Route 10
LAS→LAX
Las Vegas – Los Angeles
230,740 seats
−20%

Source: OAG Schedules Analyser · August 2026

Busiest international routes by region

The top international routes in each region — click a region to expand.

RouteSectorSeats
1HKG-TPEHong Kong – Taipei589,158
2ICN-NRTSeoul Incheon – Tokyo Narita556,662
3ICN-KIXSeoul Incheon – Osaka Kansai473,331
4KUL-SINKuala Lumpur – Singapore Changi447,166
5CGK-SINJakarta – Singapore Changi383,438
6NRT-TPETokyo Narita – Taipei351,262
7FUK-ICNFukuoka – Seoul Incheon331,606
8BKK-HKGBangkok – Hong Kong329,602
9HKG-PVGHong Kong – Shanghai Pudong324,533
10HKG-ICNHong Kong – Seoul Incheon313,429
RouteSectorSeats
1JFK-LHRNew York JFK – London Heathrow329,549
2AYT-SVOAntalya – Moscow Sheremetyevo282,039
3AYT-VKOAntalya – Moscow Vnukovo234,592
4DUS-PMIDuesseldorf – Palma213,325
5FCO-MADRome Fiumicino – Madrid202,276
6DUB-LHRDublin – London Heathrow201,736
7DXB-LHRDubai – London Heathrow192,388
8LCA-TLVLarnaca – Tel Aviv191,717
9CPH-OSLCopenhagen – Oslo185,636
10CDG-JFKParis CDG – New York JFK181,806
RouteSectorSeats
1JFK-LHRNew York JFK – London Heathrow329,549
2MCO-SJUOrlando – San Juan211,099
3CDG-JFKParis CDG – New York JFK181,806
4CDG-YULParis CDG – Montreal181,688
5LAX-LHRLos Angeles – London Heathrow162,946
6LGA-YYZNew York La Guardia – Toronto140,408
7FCO-JFKRome Fiumicino – New York JFK138,076
8SFO-TPESan Francisco – Taipei136,132
9LHR-YYZLondon Heathrow – Toronto135,364
10BOS-LHRBoston – London Heathrow134,234
RouteSectorSeats
1GRU-SCLSao Paulo Guarulhos – Santiago216,520
2MCO-SJUOrlando – San Juan211,099
3BOG-MADBogota – Madrid155,784
4BOG-PTYBogota – Panama City145,164
5LIM-SCLLima – Santiago142,065
6EZE-MADBuenos Aires – Madrid136,254
7JFK-STINew York JFK – Santiago (DO)131,256
8AEP-GRUBuenos Aires Aeroparque – Sao Paulo Guarulhos129,320
9GDL-LAXGuadalajara – Los Angeles119,958
10JFK-SJUNew York JFK – San Juan119,182
RouteSectorSeats
1CAI-JEDCairo – Jeddah436,313
2CAI-RUHCairo – Riyadh411,711
3CAI-DXBCairo – Dubai195,487
4ALG-CDGAlgiers – Paris CDG171,258
5CAI-KWICairo – Kuwait149,516
6CAI-MEDCairo – Madinah131,370
7CAI-DOHCairo – Doha126,970
8CAI-DMMCairo – Dammam123,848
9ALG-ORYAlgiers – Paris Orly103,840
10CDG-RUNParis CDG – St Denis102,732
RouteSectorSeats
1CAI-JEDCairo – Jeddah436,313
2CAI-RUHCairo – Riyadh411,711
3DXB-RUHDubai – Riyadh299,114
4DXB-JEDDubai – Jeddah215,798
5BOM-DXBMumbai – Dubai214,342
6DEL-DXBDelhi – Dubai204,134
7CAI-DXBCairo – Dubai195,487
8DXB-LHRDubai – London Heathrow192,388
9LCA-TLVLarnaca – Tel Aviv191,717
10CGK-JEDJakarta – Jeddah174,893

Busiest routes data: August 2026

Static reference tables for the top busiest air routes in August 2026. Data sourced from OAG Schedules Analyser.

Top 10 global domestic routes — August 2026

RouteSectorSeats
1.CJU-GMPJeju – Seoul Gimpo1,177,121
2.CTS-HNDSapporo – Tokyo Haneda1,115,022
3.FUK-HNDFukuoka – Tokyo Haneda998,237
4.JED-RUHJeddah – Riyadh963,786
5.HAN-SGNHanoi – Ho Chi Minh City955,263
6.BOM-DELMumbai – Delhi762,837
7.MEL-SYDMelbourne – Sydney721,748
8.HND-OKATokyo Haneda – Okinawa Naha687,399
9.PEK-SHABeijing – Shanghai Hongqiao621,531
10.SHA-SZXShanghai Hongqiao – Shenzhen600,560

Top 10 global international routes — August 2026

RouteSectorSeats
1.HKG-TPEHong Kong – Taipei589,158
2.ICN-NRTSeoul Incheon – Tokyo Narita556,662
3.ICN-KIXSeoul Incheon – Osaka Kansai473,331
4.KUL-SINKuala Lumpur – Singapore Changi447,166
5.CAI-JEDCairo – Jeddah436,313
6.CAI-RUHCairo – Riyadh411,711
7.CGK-SINJakarta – Singapore Changi383,438
8.NRT-TPETokyo Narita – Taipei351,262
9.FUK-ICNFukuoka – Seoul Incheon331,606
10.BKK-HKGBangkok – Hong Kong329,602

Busiest airline routes: frequently asked questions

The world’s busiest airline route in August 2026 is Jeju International (CJU) to Seoul Gimpo (GMP) in South Korea, with 1,177,121 scheduled seats — despite a 4% decline vs August 2025. Sapporo New Chitose to Tokyo Haneda (CTS-HND) is second with 1,115,022 seats (+6%). The busiest international route is Hong Kong to Taipei (HKG-TPE) with 589,158 seats. Source: OAG Schedules Analyser, August 2026.
Hong Kong to Taipei (HKG-TPE) is the world’s busiest international airline route in August 2026, with 589,158 seats, up 1% year-on-year. Eight of the top ten international routes are in Asia Pacific. Seoul Incheon to Tokyo Narita (ICN-NRT) ranks second with 556,662 seats, recording strong growth at +27%. Cairo to Riyadh (CAI-RUH) jointly posts the fastest growth at +27%. Source: OAG Schedules Analyser, August 2026.
Los Angeles to San Francisco (LAX-SFO) is the busiest domestic route in the USA in August 2026, with 352,567 seats — up 27% vs August 2025, the strongest growth in the top ten. New York La Guardia to Chicago O’Hare (LGA-ORD) is second with 318,980 seats (+9%). Boston to Chicago O’Hare (BOS-ORD) recorded the second-strongest growth at +23%. Source: OAG Schedules Analyser, August 2026.
Beijing to Shanghai Hongqiao (PEK-SHA) is the busiest domestic route in China in August 2026 with 621,531 seats, up 4% vs August 2025. Shanghai Hongqiao to Shenzhen (SHA-SZX) is second with 600,560 seats (−4%), and Guangzhou Baiyun to Shanghai Hongqiao (CAN-SHA) ranks third with 584,622 seats (+9%). Hangzhou to Shenzhen (HGH-SZX) posted the strongest growth in the top ten at +26%. Source: OAG Schedules Analyser, August 2026.
The busiest air routes are defined as those with the largest volume of scheduled airline seats in the current calendar month. Data covers flights in both directions on each route and is sourced from OAG Schedules Analyser in the first week of each month. The data reflects the most recent full calendar month of scheduled domestic and international aviation routes. From July 2026, Middle East international routes are included in the regional breakdown and global rankings.

View and interrogate OAG’s ever-popular Busiest Airline Routes, including the Top 10 Busiest Global Airline Routes, Top 10 Domestic Airline Routes and International Airline Routes by region. Our flight routes data is powered by Schedules Analyser.

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