BUSIEST FLIGHT ROUTES IN THE WORLD

View and interrogate OAG’s ever-popular Busiest Airline Routes whenever you need as they evolve and change over time, regularly providing updates on the busiest flight routes in the world. These include 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.

Find extensive flight data and analysis for domestic and international airline routes below and discover the busiest air routes in the area of your choice.

• 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: Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) to Shenzhen (SZX)
• USA's busiest domestic route: New York (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX)

KEY POINTS

• The world's busiest domestic route in December 2025 is South Korea’s Jeju International (CJU) to Seoul Gimpo (GMP), with 1.46 million seats. This represents a strong 33% increase in capacity compared to December 2024, making it the fastest-growing route in the Top 10.
• Vietnam’s Hanoi (HAN) to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) moves into second place with 1.07 million seats, up 25% year-on-year.
• In third place is Japan’s Sapporo New Chitose (CTS) to Tokyo Haneda (HND) with 1.03 million seats, recording stable capacity versus last year.
• Close behind, Fukuoka (FUK) to Tokyo Haneda (HND) ranks fourth with just over 1 million seats, a modest 2% increase vs last year.
  
  
• Jeddah (JED) to Riyadh (RUH) is in fifth place, and Shanghai (SHA) to Shenzhen (SZX) is in ninth place. These routes also stand out as the fastest-growing major markets, with capacity increasing by 15% and 14% respectively compared to last year. 

KEY POINTS

• Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) to Shenzhen (SZX) remains China’s busiest domestic route in December 2025 with 672k seats, a strong 14% increase compared to December 2024.
• Beijing (PEK) to Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) ranks second place with 648k seats, showing steady year-on-year growth of 1%.
• Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN) to Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) takes third place with 573k seats, reflecting a 4% increase on last December.
• As in November, all of the top three routes involve Shanghai Hongqiao Airport (SHA), further highlighting its dominant position within China’s domestic aviation network.
  
  
• Several routes saw notable growth this month. Hangzhou (HGH) to Shenzhen (SZX) recorded a 4% increase, placing it fifth in the rankings, while Chengdu (CTU) to Beijing (PEK) grew by 1% year-on-year.
• Capacity between Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN) and Beijing (PEK) remained flat compared to last December.
• The biggest declines this month are found on North–South and inland–coastal markets. Beijing (PEK) to Shenzhen (SZX) is down 2% year-on-year, while Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN) to Hangzhou (HGH) is down 3%. Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN) to Beijing Daxing (PKX) recorded a 1% decrease, and the sharpest drop is on Chengdu (CTU) to Shenzhen (SZX), which is down 7% and rounds out the Top 10.

KEY POINTS

• In December 2025, the transcontinental corridor between New York (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX) remains the USA’s busiest domestic route with 303k seats, an 8% increase compared to December 2024.
• Atlanta (ATL) to Orlando (MCO) ranks second this month with 277k seats, although capacity on the route has softened slightly, down 3% year-on-year.
• Denver (DEN) to Phoenix (PHX) takes third place with 271k seats, a marginal 2% decline compared to  last December.
  
  
• Several routes saw notable growth this month. Atlanta (ATL) to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) recorded an 11% increase, placing it fifth in the rankings, while New York La Guardia (LGA) to Chicago O’Hare (ORD) grew by 8% year-on-year. The fastest-growing route in the Top 10 is Atlanta (ATL) to New York La Guardia (LGA), with capacity up 15% compared to December 2024.
• The biggest declines this month are found on western and Hawaii markets. Las Vegas (LAS) to Los Angeles (LAX) is down 14% year-on-year, while Honolulu (HNL) to Kahului (OGG) is down 13%, placing them eighth and ninth respectively in the December rankings.
  
  
• However, Honolulu (HNL) to Los Angeles (LAX) saw a modest 2% increase in capacity, rounding out the Top 10.
  

KEY POINTS

• In December 2025, Hong Kong (HKG) to Taipei (TPE) remains the busiest global international flight route with 554k seats, although capacity continues to decline, down 11% compared to December 2024. Cairo (CAI) to Jeddah (JED) holds its position as the second busiest route with just over 501k seats, recording strong year-on-year growth of 15%. Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Singapore Changi (SIN) sits in third place with 457k seats, despite a slight 2% decline versus last year.
  
  
• The strongest growth rate in the Top 10 this month comes from Hong Kong (HKG) to Manila (MNL), which is in ninth place with 372k seats and has added a notable 21% more capacity compared to December 2024. Seoul Incheon (ICN) to Osaka Kansai (KIX) also performed well, growing 5% year-on-year and ranking fourth. By contrast, Seoul Incheon (ICN) to Tokyo Narita (NRT) has seen a 4% drop in capacity and is the fifth busiest international route this month.
  
  
• Asia Pacific continues to dominate the global international rankings, accounting for eight of the top 10 busiest routes once again. One route links the Middle East internally (Dubai–Riyadh), and one connects Africa to the Middle East (Cairo–Jeddah). Hong Kong (HKG) appears three times in the Top 10, more than any other airport, followed by Seoul Incheon (ICN), Tokyo Narita (NRT), Singapore Changi (SIN) and Taipei (TPE), each featuring twice.
  

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.