CNN
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Singapore’s Changi Airport is often hailed as the world’s best airport, but it’s also one of the busiest.
travel intelligence company OAG publishes its annual list of the world’s busiest international flights, and three of the top 10 are to Singapore, with Bangkok (8th place), Jakarta (7th place landing) and Kuala Lumpur (bottom of the list) This is a connecting flight with a higher rank). .
This data is based solely on seats sold on flights throughout 2023. A total of 4.9 million seats were purchased on the busiest route from Malaysia’s capital to Singapore. The flight lasts just over an hour and is popular with commuters who want to fly between two neighboring countries instead of driving.
All but one of the top 10 busiest routes are in Asia and the Middle East, with the sole exception being across the pond between New York and London. OAG notes that JFK to Heathrow is the only route in the top 10 that saw its total capacity increase from 2019.
Asia also dominates the ranking of the busiest domestic airline routes, with Japan in first place. Flights linking central Tokyo with popular vacation destinations include Fukuoka (a major gourmet hub and gateway to Korea), Sapporo (popular for winter sports), and Okinawa (known as the “Hawaii of Japan”). They came in 2nd, 3rd and 7th place. each location.
Meanwhile, some of the busiest lines connected major cities in large countries, such as China (Beijing and Shanghai) and Australia (Melbourne and Sydney).
There were several routes outside of the top 10 called by OAG. The busiest domestic air route in the United States was not from New York to Los Angeles, but from Honolulu to Kahului, Hawaii, which connects Oahu and Maui. A total of 3.6 million seats were sold on this route, but it’s unclear whether Maui’s devastating fires contributed to lower ticket sales at the end of 2023.
California excursions from San Francisco to Los Angeles ranked #1 in the U.S. in 2019, but dropped to #6 in 2023.
10 busiest international routes in 2023
1. Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Singapore (SIN)
2. Cairo (CAI) to Jeddah (JED)
3. Hong Kong (HKG) to Taipei (TPE)
4. Seoul Incheon (ICN) – Osaka Kansai (KIX)
5. Seoul Incheon (ICN) – Tokyo Narita (NRT)
6. Dubai (DXB) – Riyadh (RUH)
7. Jakarta (CGK) – Singapore (SIN)
8. New York Kennedy (JFK) – London Heathrow (LHR)
9. Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK) – Singapore (SIN)
10. Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK) – Seoul Incheon (ICN)
10 busiest domestic routes in 2023
1. Jeju (CJU) to Seoul Gimpo (GMP)
2. Sapporo Chitose (CTS) – Tokyo Haneda (HND)
3. Fukuoka (FUK) – Tokyo Haneda (HND)
4. Hanoi (HAN) – Ho Chi Minh City (SGN)
5. Melbourne (MEL) – Sydney (SYD)
6. Beijing (PEK) – Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA)
7. Tokyo Haneda (HND) – Okinawa Naha (OKA)
8. Jeddah (JED) – Riyadh (RUH)
9. Mumbai (BOM) – Delhi (DEL)
10. Jakarta (CGK) – Bali Denpasar (DPS)