Busiest flight routes in the world

Which are the world's busiest flight routes?

October 2026

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OAG · Busiest Routes Right Now · October 2026
Busiest Routes Right Now  • 
Jeju to Seoul
is the world's
busiest route
1.14 million seats  •  CJU to GMP
Busiest domestic route
CJU → GMP
Jeju International to Seoul Gimpo
1.14m
−14% YoY
Busiest international route
ICN → NRT
Seoul Incheon to Tokyo Narita
585k
+39% YoY
Fastest growing route (global domestic)
BOM → DEL
Mumbai to Delhi — year-on-year
+10%
695k seats

What are the world's busiest domestic flight routes?

The World's Busiest Domestic route in October 2026 is Jeju International (CJU) to Seoul Gimpo (GMP), offering 1.14 million seats, despite capacity declining by 14% compared with October 2025, the largest decrease among the global top ten. Sapporo New Chitose (CTS) to Tokyo Haneda (HND) remains in second place with 1.07 million seats, recording 2% growth year-on-year. Fukuoka (FUK) to Tokyo Haneda (HND) climbs to third with 983k seats, also increasing capacity by 2%, while Hanoi (HAN) to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) ranks fourth with 925k seats, recording 4% growth. Jeddah (JED) to Riyadh (RUH) completes the top five with 918k seats, increasing capacity by 8% compared with October 2025. Further down the rankings, Melbourne (MEL) to Sydney (SYD) ranks sixth with 745k seats, declining by 9% year-on-year. Mumbai (BOM) to Delhi (DEL) follows in seventh with 695k seats and records the strongest growth among the global top ten, increasing capacity by 10%. Tokyo Haneda (HND) to Okinawa Naha (OKA) ranks eighth with 693k seats, up 1%, while Beijing (PEK) to Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) ranks ninth with 618k seats, declining by 5%. Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) to Shenzhen (SZX) rounds out the top ten with 618k seats, recording 6% growth compared with October 2025.

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

Top 10 global domestic routes

Route (thickness = seats) Airport
RouteSectorSeatsYoY
1.CJU-GMPJeju – Seoul Gimpo1.14m−14%
2.CTS-HNDSapporo – Tokyo Haneda1.07m+2%
3.FUK-HNDFukuoka – Tokyo Haneda983k+2%
4.HAN-SGNHanoi – Ho Chi Minh City925k+4%
5.JED-RUHJeddah – Riyadh918k+8%
6.MEL-SYDMelbourne – Sydney745k−9%
7.BOM-DELMumbai – Delhi695k+10%
8.HND-OKATokyo Haneda – Okinawa693k+1%
9.PEK-SHABeijing – Shanghai Hongqiao618k−5%
10.SHA-SZXShanghai Hongqiao – Shenzhen618k+6%
Source: OAG Schedules Analyser · October 2026 · bidirectional seat volumes

What are the world's busiest international flight routes?

Seoul Incheon (ICN) to Tokyo Narita (NRT) remains the World's Busiest International route in October 2026, offering 585k seats and recording exceptional 39% growth compared with October 2025, the strongest increase among the world's top ten international routes. Hong Kong (HKG) to Taipei (TPE) remains in second place with 571k seats, recording 2% growth year-on-year. Seoul Incheon (ICN) to Osaka Kansai (KIX) climbs to third with 492k seats, posting strong growth of 16%, while Cairo (CAI) to Jeddah (JED) ranks fourth with 481k seats, increasing capacity by 1%. Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Singapore Changi (SIN) completes the top five with 451k seats, declining slightly by 1% compared with October 2025.

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

Top 10 global international routes

Route (thickness = seats) Airport
RouteSectorSeatsYoY
1.ICN-NRTSeoul Incheon – Tokyo Narita585k+39%
2.HKG-TPEHong Kong – Taipei571k+2%
3.ICN-KIXSeoul Incheon – Osaka Kansai492k+16%
4.CAI-JEDCairo – Jeddah481k+1%
5.KUL-SINKuala Lumpur – Singapore Changi451k−1%
6.CGK-SINJakarta – Singapore Changi380k−1%
7.NRT-TPETokyo Narita – Taipei359k+6%
8.FUK-ICNFukuoka – Seoul Incheon350k+11%
9.BKK-HKGBangkok – Hong Kong340k−3%
10.JFK-LHRNew York JFK – London Heathrow325k−6%
Source: OAG Schedules Analyser · October 2026 · bidirectional seat volumes

The remainder of the top ten international routes presents a mixed performance. Jakarta (CGK) to Singapore Changi (SIN) ranks sixth with 380k seats, declining by 1% year-on-year. Tokyo Narita (NRT) to Taipei (TPE) remains one of the leading Asia-Pacific international markets, increasing capacity by 6% to 359k seats in seventh place. Fukuoka (FUK) to Seoul Incheon (ICN) ranks eighth with 350k seats, recording strong growth of 11%. Bangkok (BKK) to Hong Kong (HKG) follows in ninth with 340k seats, declining by 3%, while New York JFK (JFK) to London Heathrow (LHR) rounds out the top ten with 325k seats, declining by 6% compared with October 2025, the largest decrease among the world's ten busiest international routes.

Asia Pacific continues to dominate the international market in October 2026, accounting for eight of the world's ten busiest international routes. Seoul Incheon (ICN) remains a particularly important regional hub, featuring in three of the top ten markets, including the world's busiest international route. Tokyo Narita (NRT) also features twice, while Taipei (TPE), Singapore Changi (SIN) and Hong Kong (HKG) each appear across multiple leading routes, underlining the continued strength of intra-Asia international travel. Outside Asia Pacific, Cairo (CAI) to Jeddah (JED) highlights the strength of the Middle East–Africa market, while New York JFK (JFK) to London Heathrow (LHR) remains the only Europe–North America market in the top ten.

What are China's busiest domestic flight routes?

Beijing (PEK) to Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) remains China's Busiest Domestic route in October 2026, offering 618k seats, despite capacity declining by 5% compared with October 2025. Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) to Shenzhen (SZX) retains second place with 618k seats, recording 6% growth year-on-year. Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN) to Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) ranks third with 584k seats and records the strongest growth among China's top ten routes, increasing capacity by 11%. Chengdu (CTU) to Beijing (PEK) follows in fourth with 433k seats, posting 7% growth, while Beijing (PEK) to Shenzhen (SZX) completes the top five with 404k seats, recording the largest decline among the top ten at 16%. Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN) to Hangzhou (HGH) ranks sixth with 395k seats, with capacity broadly unchanged year-on-year. Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN) to Beijing Daxing (PKX) follows in seventh with 347k seats, recording strong growth of 10%, while Hangzhou (HGH) to Shenzhen (SZX) ranks eighth with 335k seats, declining by 7%. Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN) to Beijing (PEK) is ninth with 331k seats, down 12%, while Chengdu (CTU) to Shenzhen (SZX) rounds out the top ten with 291k seats, increasing by 2% compared with October 2025.

Source: OAG Schedules Analyser · October 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 October 2026, offering 370k seats and recording a 28% increase compared with October 2025. New York La Guardia (LGA) to Chicago O'Hare (ORD) ranks second with 328k seats, growing by 2%, while New York JFK (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX) remains third with 310k seats, increasing by 1% year-on-year. Los Angeles (LAX) to Chicago O'Hare (ORD) ranks fourth with 291k seats and records the strongest growth among the country's ten busiest domestic routes, increasing capacity by 31%. Denver (DEN) to Phoenix (PHX) completes the top five with 285k seats, up 2% compared with October 2025. Atlanta (ATL) to Orlando (MCO) follows in sixth with 275k seats, recording 5% growth, while Boston (BOS) to Chicago O'Hare (ORD) ranks seventh with 269k seats and posts strong growth of 23%. Honolulu (HNL) to Kahului (OGG) ranks eighth with 249k seats, with capacity broadly unchanged year-on-year. Las Vegas (LAS) to Los Angeles (LAX) enters the top ten in ninth place with 247k seats and is the only route among the USA's ten busiest to record a decline, falling by 7%. Chicago O'Hare (ORD) to San Francisco (SFO) completes the top ten with 244k seats, recording strong growth of 16% compared with October 2025.

Route 1
LAX→SFO
Los Angeles – San Francisco
370,430 seats
+28%
Route 2
LGA→ORD
New York La Guardia – Chicago O'Hare
327,692 seats
+2%
Route 3
JFK→LAX
New York JFK – Los Angeles
309,883 seats
+1%
Route 4
LAX→ORD
Los Angeles – Chicago O'Hare
291,209 seats
+31%
Route 5
DEN→PHX
Denver – Phoenix
284,895 seats
+2%
Route 6
ATL→MCO
Atlanta – Orlando
274,744 seats
+5%
Route 7
BOS→ORD
Boston – Chicago O'Hare
268,893 seats
+23%
Route 8
HNL→OGG
Honolulu – Kahului
249,196 seats
0%
Route 9
LAS→LAX
Las Vegas – Los Angeles
246,844 seats
−7%
Route 10
ORD→SFO
Chicago O'Hare – San Francisco
243,766 seats
+16%

Source: OAG Schedules Analyser · October 2026

Busiest international routes by region

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

RouteSectorSeats
1ICN-NRTSeoul Incheon – Tokyo Narita584,664
2HKG-TPEHong Kong – Taipei571,018
3ICN-KIXSeoul Incheon – Osaka Kansai491,573
4KUL-SINKuala Lumpur – Singapore Changi450,591
5CGK-SINJakarta – Singapore Changi379,696
6NRT-TPETokyo Narita – Taipei358,778
7FUK-ICNFukuoka – Seoul Incheon350,326
8BKK-HKGBangkok – Hong Kong339,953
9KIX-TPEOsaka Kansai – Taipei312,193
10HKG-PVGHong Kong – Shanghai Pudong309,421
RouteSectorSeats
1JFK-LHRNew York JFK – London Heathrow325,433
2FCO-MADRome Fiumicino – Madrid214,964
3AYT-SVOAntalya – Moscow Sheremetyevo214,347
4DUS-PMIDuesseldorf – Palma211,453
5DUB-LHRDublin – London Heathrow195,268
6DXB-LHRDubai – London Heathrow192,124
7CPH-OSLCopenhagen – Oslo190,884
8ARN-CPHStockholm – Copenhagen190,614
9AYT-VKOAntalya – Moscow Vnukovo189,739
10LIS-MADLisbon – Madrid188,054
RouteSectorSeats
1JFK-LHRNew York JFK – London Heathrow325,433
2MCO-SJUOrlando – San Juan208,090
3CDG-JFKParis CDG – New York JFK180,574
4LAX-LHRLos Angeles – London Heathrow154,498
5LGA-YYZNew York La Guardia – Toronto138,638
6SFO-TPESan Francisco – Taipei136,774
7LHR-YYZLondon Heathrow – Toronto129,354
8FCO-JFKRome Fiumicino – New York JFK123,823
9ICN-LAXSeoul Incheon – Los Angeles121,417
10BOS-LHRBoston – London Heathrow117,987
RouteSectorSeats
1MCO-SJUOrlando – San Juan208,090
2LIM-SCLLima – Santiago156,275
3BOG-MADBogota – Madrid152,952
4BOG-PTYBogota – Panama City145,850
5GRU-SCLSao Paulo Guarulhos – Santiago134,953
6AEP-GRUBuenos Aires Aeroparque – Sao Paulo Guarulhos123,906
7AEP-SCLBuenos Aires Aeroparque – Santiago115,174
8MAD-MEXMadrid – Mexico City110,505
9EZE-MADBuenos Aires – Madrid107,447
10PTY-SJOPanama City – San Jose105,004
RouteSectorSeats
1CAI-JEDCairo – Jeddah480,552
2CAI-RUHCairo – Riyadh303,322
3CAI-DXBCairo – Dubai190,233
4CAI-MEDCairo – Madinah171,267
5CAI-KWICairo – Kuwait119,686
6ALG-CDGAlgiers – Paris CDG118,075
7ADD-DXBAddis Ababa – Dubai116,411
8CAI-DOHCairo – Doha115,462
9CAI-ISTCairo – Istanbul Ataturk98,704
10DXB-JNBDubai – Johannesburg97,654
RouteSectorSeats
1CAI-JEDCairo – Jeddah480,552
2DXB-RUHDubai – Riyadh310,032
3CAI-RUHCairo – Riyadh303,322
4DXB-JEDDubai – Jeddah231,522
5BOM-DXBMumbai – Dubai219,546
6DEL-DXBDelhi – Dubai207,369
7DXB-LHRDubai – London Heathrow192,124
8CAI-DXBCairo – Dubai190,233
9DOH-LHRDoha – London Heathrow184,067
10CAI-MEDCairo – Madinah171,267

Busiest routes data: October 2026

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

Top 10 global domestic routes — October 2026

RouteSectorSeats
1.CJU-GMPJeju – Seoul Gimpo1,144,285
2.CTS-HNDSapporo – Tokyo Haneda1,067,722
3.FUK-HNDFukuoka – Tokyo Haneda983,357
4.HAN-SGNHanoi – Ho Chi Minh City925,317
5.JED-RUHJeddah – Riyadh918,415
6.MEL-SYDMelbourne – Sydney744,559
7.BOM-DELMumbai – Delhi694,844
8.HND-OKATokyo Haneda – Okinawa Naha692,901
9.PEK-SHABeijing – Shanghai Hongqiao618,262
10.SHA-SZXShanghai Hongqiao – Shenzhen617,519

Top 10 global international routes — October 2026

RouteSectorSeats
1.ICN-NRTSeoul Incheon – Tokyo Narita584,664
2.HKG-TPEHong Kong – Taipei571,018
3.ICN-KIXSeoul Incheon – Osaka Kansai491,573
4.CAI-JEDCairo – Jeddah480,552
5.KUL-SINKuala Lumpur – Singapore Changi450,591
6.CGK-SINJakarta – Singapore Changi379,696
7.NRT-TPETokyo Narita – Taipei358,778
8.FUK-ICNFukuoka – Seoul Incheon350,326
9.BKK-HKGBangkok – Hong Kong339,953
10.JFK-LHRNew York JFK – London Heathrow325,433

Busiest airline routes: frequently asked questions

The world’s busiest airline route in October 2026 is Jeju International (CJU) to Seoul Gimpo (GMP) in South Korea, with 1,144,285 scheduled seats — despite a 14% decline vs October 2025. Sapporo New Chitose to Tokyo Haneda (CTS-HND) is second with 1,067,722 seats (+2%). The busiest international route is Seoul Incheon to Tokyo Narita (ICN-NRT) with 584,664 seats. Source: OAG Schedules Analyser, October 2026.
Seoul Incheon to Tokyo Narita (ICN-NRT) is the world’s busiest international airline route in October 2026, with 584,664 seats, up 39% year-on-year. Eight of the top ten international routes are in Asia Pacific. Hong Kong to Taipei (HKG-TPE) ranks second with 571,018 seats (+2%), while Seoul Incheon to Osaka Kansai (ICN-KIX) climbs to third with 491,573 seats (+16%). ICN-NRT posts the strongest growth at +39%. Source: OAG Schedules Analyser, October 2026.
Los Angeles to San Francisco (LAX-SFO) is the busiest domestic route in the USA in October 2026, with 370,430 seats — up 28% vs October 2025. New York La Guardia to Chicago O’Hare (LGA-ORD) is second with 327,692 seats (+2%). Los Angeles to Chicago O’Hare (LAX-ORD) recorded the strongest growth in the top ten at +31%. Source: OAG Schedules Analyser, October 2026.
Beijing to Shanghai Hongqiao (PEK-SHA) is the busiest domestic route in China in October 2026 with 618,262 seats, down 5% vs October 2025. Shanghai Hongqiao to Shenzhen (SHA-SZX) is second with 617,519 seats (+6%), and Guangzhou Baiyun to Shanghai Hongqiao (CAN-SHA) ranks third with 584,373 seats (+11%), the strongest growth in the top ten. Source: OAG Schedules Analyser, October 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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