Have you ever wondered how many planes are in the air at a given moment? In 2017, airline companies around the world operated 36.8 million flights. They carried 4.1 billion passengers, according to the International Air Transport Association.
At any time, an average of 9,728 airplanes — carrying over 1 million people — were in the sky, according to FlightAware, an aviation data company. Some have an outstanding on-time record.
Of the 20 busiest international airline routes, 15 are in the Asia-Pacific region. Of the top 100 busiest routes based on passenger load, Asia-Pacific flights make up more than 70%, according to RoutesOnline, a UK-based aviation network.
To list the 20 most popular international flights in the world, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data from the 2019 OAG Busiest Routes report. The busiest routes are ranked by number of flights for the period between March 2018 and February 2019. Routes are defined as flight paths between specific airports, not cities, so for large cities with multiple airports, only one airport is given in the route. The OAG excluded flights from carries that operate less than 500 flights a year, on any route. Some additional information comes from RoutesOnline, a UK-based aviation network.
Click here to read about the most popular international flights.
20. KIX-TPE
> Flight route: Osaka, Japan (KIX) to Taipei, Taiwan (TPE)
> No. of flights in a year: 13,325
> No. of carriers: 9
> Flights operating on time: 76.4%
The 1,057 mile flight between Japan’s Kansai International Airport in Osaka to Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei runs 13,325 times a year. Nine airlines offer service between the two airports.
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19. ICN-NRT
> Flight route: Seoul, South Korea (ICN) to Tokyo, Japan (NRT)
> No. of flights in a year: 13,420
> No. of carriers: 7
> Flights operating on time: 68.7%
With nearly 100 more flights per year than the Osaka-Taipei route, the 781-mile flight from South Korea’s Incheon International Airport in Seoul to Tokyo’s Narita Airport is the 19th busiest international route.
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18. ORD-YYZ
> Flight route: Chicago, IL (ORD) to Toronto, ON (YYZ)
> No. of flights in a year: 13,503
> No. of carriers: 3
> Flights operating on time: 64.0%
The flight from Chicago O’Hare International Airport to Toronto Pearson International Airport is 436 miles. Only three airlines offer this service, and the percentage of flights operating on schedule is 64%.
17. HKG-SIN
> Flight route: Hong Kong (HKG) to Singapore (SIN)
> No. of flights in a year: 13,654
> No. of carriers: 4
> Flights operating on time: 72.7%
Flights to and from Hong Kong make up six of the 20 busiest international routes, and flights to Singapore make up four. In 2017, over 3 million passengers flew between the two destinations, according to a study by aviation network Routes Online, which used scheduling data from the OAG. .
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16. KIX-PVG
> Flight route: Osaka, Japan (KIX) to Shanghai, China (PVG)
> No. of flights in a year: 13,708
> No. of carriers: 9
> Flights operating on time: unknown
Nine airlines operate over 13,000 flights between Osaka, Japan, and Shanghai, China, every year. Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport is currently constructing what may be the world’s two largest passenger terminals, which would raise the airport’s capacity to 80 million passengers annually, the Shanghai Airport Authority has told local media.
15. DUB-LHR
> Flight route: Dublin, Ireland (DUB) to London, United Kingdom (LHR)
> No. of flights in a year: 13,855
> No. of carriers: 2
> Flights operating on time: 76.7%
The busiest international flight between two European countries is the hour-and-a-half hop from Dublin to London. Only two airlines compete for this popular flight, Aer Lingus and British Airways.
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14. NRT-TPE
> Flight route: Tokyo, Japan (NRT) to Taipei, Taiwan (TPE)
> No. of flights in a year: 13,902
> No. of carriers: 9
> Flights operating on time: 76.5%
The flight from Tokyo to Taipei is 1,356 miles and is serviced by nine airlines. Nearly 14,000 scheduled flights take place between the two cities every year, making it the 14th most popular international route.
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13. JFK-LHR
> Flight route: New York, NY (JFK) to London, United Kingdom (LHR)
> No. of flights in a year: 14,195
> No. of carriers: 4
> Flights operating on time: 78.2%
For one airline, the flight from New York’s Kennedy International Airport to London’s Heathrow Airport is the most lucrative flight in the world. British Airways makes $1.04 billion in revenue annually from this route alone, according to a 2017 OAG report on the top revenue routes in the world. Nearly 3 million people flew from JFK to LHR in 2017.
12. HKG-PEK
> Flight route: Hong Kong (HKG) to Beijing, China (PEK)
> No. of flights in a year: 14,537
> No. of carriers: 5
> Flights operating on time: 67.7%
Nearly 3 million passengers flew from Hong Kong to Beijing in 2017. The Hong Kong Airport is operating over capacity, according to local media reports, and has plans for an $18 billion upgrade that will include the addition of a third runway.
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11. BKK-HKG
> Flight route: Bangkok, Thailand (BKK) to Hong Kong (HKG)
> No. of flights in a year: 14,556
> No. of carriers: 4
> Flights operating on time: 71.3%
The flight from Bangkok to Hong Kong runs over 14,500 times a year. In 2017, over 3.4 million passengers took the 1,072-mile trip.
10. DXB-KWI
> Flight route: Dubai, United Arab Emirates (DXB) to Kuwait (KWI)
> No. of flights in a year: 14,581
> No. of carriers: 4
> Flights operating on time: 82.5%
The busiest international flight route in the Middle East runs between Dubai and Kuwait and is serviced by four airlines. The percentage of flights running on time is 82.5%, a higher on-time percentage than any other route in the top 20.
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9. BKK-SIN
> Flight route: Bangkok, Thailand (BKK) to Singapore (SIN)
> No. of flights in a year: 14,698
> No. of carriers: 5
> Flights operating on time: 81.7%
Of all the top international flights in Asia, the trip between Bangkok and Singapore has the second highest share of on-time flights, at 81.7%. The service is offered by five airlines.
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8. HKG-ICN
> Flight route: Hong Kong (HKG) to Seoul, South Korea (ICN)
> No. of flights in a year: 15,770
> No. of carriers: 9
> Flights operating on time: 71.4%
In 2017, over 3 million passengers took the flight from Hong Kong to Seoul. The trip is over 8,000 miles long and is run by nine different airlines.
7. LGA-YYZ
> Flight route: New York, NY (LGA) to Toronto, ON (YYZ)
> No. of flights in a year: 17,038
> No. of carriers: 3
> Flights operating on time: 54.9%
The flight from New York’s Laguardia Airport to Toronto is the busiest international airline route outside of Asia. It’s also serviced by the fewest airlines compared to the other top 10 most popular routes and has the lowest percentage of flights operating on time.
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6. ICN-KIX
> Flight route: Seoul, South Korea (ICN) to Osaka, Japan (KIX)
> No. of flights in a year: 19,711
> No. of carriers: 8
> Flights operating on time: 71.0%
The second fastest-growing international route in 2017, according to Routes Online, was the flight between Seoul and Osaka Prefecture, which saw 30% passenger growth from 2016. The route is serviced by eight airlines, slightly more than the average number of carriers servicing Asian and Pacific routes.
5. CGK-KUL
> Flight route: Jakarta, Indonesia (CGK) to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (KUL)
> No. of flights in a year: 19,741
> No. of carriers: 8
> Flights operating on time: 63.9%
The 700-mile flight between the capitals of Indonesia and Malaysia takes just over 2 hours. The trip between these cities is possible by train, bus and ferry, but takes two days to complete.
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4. HKG-PVG
> Flight route: Hong Kong, (HKG) to Shanghai, China (PVG)
> No. of flights in a year: 20,678
> No. of carriers: 5
> Flights operating on time: 66.6%
The sixth fastest growing route in 2017 was the flight between Hong Kong and Shanghai, with passenger numbers growing 15.5% to over 4 million. Five airlines offer service between the two cities.
3. CGK-SIN
> Flight route: Jakarta, Indonesia (CGK) to Singapore (SIN)
> No. of flights in a year: 27,046
> No. of carriers: 7
> Flights operating on time: 80.7%
Millions of passengers flew on over 27,000 flights between Jakarta and Singapore. This route is one of only three of the busiest international routes that has an on-time flight percentage over 80%.
2. HKG-TPE
> Flight route: Hong Kong (HKG) to Taipei, Taiwan (TPE)
> No. of flights in a year: 28,447
> No. of carriers: 5
> Flights operating on time: 70.0%
The second most popular international flight, which runs from Hong Kong to Taipei, sees over 6 million passengers a year. The distance between the airports is about 520-mile flight and the flight takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes.
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1. KUL-SIN
> Flight route: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (KUL) to Singapore (SIN)
> No. of flights in a year: 30,187
> No. of carriers: 8
> Flights operating on time: 72.8%
The most popular international flight route runs between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, with 30,187 flights annually. That is an average of 82 flights a day. About 4 million people fly between these South East Asian cities a year.
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