Busiest flight routes in the world

Busiest airline routes at a glance

• The busiest domestic airline route: Jeju International (CJU) to Seoul Gimpo (GMP) 
• The busiest international route: Hong Kong (HKG) to Taipei (TPE) 
• China's busiest domestic route: Beijing (PEK) to Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA)
• USA's busiest domestic route: New York JFK (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX) 

Busiest domestic airline routes

Key points

• In April 2026, the busiest domestic airline route is again in South Korea, with Jeju International (CJU) to Seoul Gimpo (GMP) offering 1.09 million seats, although capacity is down 2% compared with April 2025. 
• Japan ranks second, with New Chitose Airport (CTS) to Haneda Airport (HND) providing 1.02 million seats, up 4% year-on-year. Vietnam’s Hanoi (HAN) to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) follows in third place with 946k seats, recording strong growth of 10% versus last year - the highest growth in the Top 10. Japan’s Fukuoka (FUK) to Haneda (HND) ranks fourth with 935k seats, remaining broadly flat year-on-year. In fifth place is Australia’s Melbourne (MEL) to Sydney (SYD) route, offering 765k seats, up 2% compared to April 2025.
• Elsewhere in the Top 10, India’s Mumbai (BOM) to Delhi (DEL) posts strong growth of 8% to 692k seats.
• Japan’s Haneda (HND) to Okinawa (OKA) and China’s Beijing (PEK) to Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) routes each see a slight 1% decline in capacity. 
• In contrast, China’s Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) to Shenzhen (SZX) and Guangzhou (CAN) to Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) show strong growth, increasing by 4% and 9% respectively.

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China’s top 10 busiest domestic airline routes

Key points

• Beijing (PEK) to Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) remains China’s busiest domestic route in April 2026, offering 649k seats, although capacity is down slightly by 1% compared with April 2025.
• The second busiest route is Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) to Shenzhen (SZX) with 615k seats, recording a 4% year-on-year increase. Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN) to Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) ranks third with 592k seats, up a strong 9% versus last year - the highest capacity growth in the Top 10. Beijing (PEK) to Shenzhen (SZX) is in fourth place with 476k seats, down 2% year-on-year.
• Shanghai Hongqiao continues to play a central role in China’s domestic network, featuring in three of the top four routes.
• Further down the rankings, Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN) to Hangzhou (HGH) and Hangzhou (HGH) to Shenzhen (SZX) each see a 3% decline in capacity, with 382k and 367k seats respectively, placing them in sixth and seventh place. Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN) to Beijing (PEK) records the sharpest capacity reduction among the Top 10, falling 9% to 345k seats, while Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN) to Beijing Daxing (PKX) and Hangzhou (HGH) to Beijing (PEK) are down by 6%.

USA’s top 10 busiest domestic airline routes

Key points

• New York JFK (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX) becomes the USA’s busiest domestic route in April 2026, offering 310k seats and recording a strong 9% increase compared with April 2025.
• Los Angeles (LAX) to San Francisco (SFO) ranks second with 299k seats, up 7% year-on-year, while Atlanta (ATL) to Orlando (MCO) follows in third place with 297k seats, growing 5% compared to last year.
• New York La Guardia (LGA) to Chicago O’Hare (ORD) takes fourth position with 294k seats, posting solid growth of 6%. Atlanta (ATL) to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) completes the top five with 285k seats, recording the strongest growth among the Top 10 at 34% year-on-year.
• Strong growth continues on key Florida and transcontinental routes, with Newark (EWR) to Orlando (MCO) standing out after a 19% increase to 232k seats.
• Meanwhile, a number of Western U.S. markets are experiencing a  decline this month. Denver (DEN) to Phoenix (PHX) falls slightly by 2% to 283k seats, while Las Vegas (LAS) to Los Angeles (LAX) records the largest drop, down 11% to 237k seats. Denver (DEN) to Las Vegas (LAS) is also down by 2%, and Hawaiian inter-island travel remains under pressure, with Honolulu (HNL) to Kahului (OGG) down 5% year-on-year.

Busiest international airline routes

Key points

• Topping the global rankings once again, Hong Kong (HKG) to Taipei (TPE) is the world's busiest international route in April 2026 - with 576k seats available and growth of 1% versus the same month last year. Seoul Incheon (ICN) to Tokyo Narita (NRT) has moved up to second place with 519k seats, posting a strong 28% year-on-year increase. Seoul Incheon (ICN) to Osaka Kansai (KIX) ranks third with 456k seats, up 11%, while Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Singapore Changi (SIN) sits fourth with 434k seats, declining 9% compared to last year. Jakarta (CGK) to Singapore Changi (SIN) completes the top five with 382k seats, down slightly by 1% year-on-year.
• The remainder of the Top 10 international routes present a mixed performance. Hong Kong (HKG) to Manila (MNL) records one of the strongest growth rates, increasing 23% year-on-year to 361k seats in sixth place. Bangkok (BKK) to Hong Kong (HKG) is down by 6% to 359k seats in seventh place, while Tokyo Narita (NRT) to Taipei (TPE) is up 5% to 349k seats in eighth place. Hong Kong (HKG) to Seoul Incheon (ICN) also shows strong growth, up 21% to 323k seats in ninth place. Rounding out the rankings, New York JFK (JFK) to London Heathrow (LHR) is the only non-Asia Pacific route in the Top 10, declining 6% year-on-year to 313k seats.
• Asia Pacific continues to dominate the international market in April 2026, accounting for nine of the Top 10 busiest routes, with Hong Kong (HKG) featuring prominently across multiple routes and maintaining its position as a key hub in the region.
  

Ranking methodology

The busiest air routes are defined as those with the largest volume of scheduled airline seats in the current calendar month. Data is for 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 for the busiest scheduled domestic and international aviation routes in each category.