As the number of travelers increases this year, the number of passengers on these destinations around the world has also increased. In the fall, international air traffic reached 98.2 percent of pre-pandemic levels, according to the latest data from the International Air Transport Association, AFAR reports.
OAG presented the routes that carried the most passengers this year. The busiest international air route in 2023 was Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Singapore (Changi) with 4.9 million seats, which ranked second four years ago.
The top 10 busiest flights are as follows:
- Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) — Singapore: 4.9 million seats;
- Cairo (Egypt) – Jeddah (Saudi Arabia): 4.8 million seats;
- Hong Kong — Taipei (Taiwan): 4.6 million seats;
- Seoul (South Korea) – Osaka (Japan): 4.2 million seats;
- Seoul (South Korea) – Tokyo (Japan): 4.15 million seats;
- Dubai (UAE) – Riyadh (Saudi Arabia): 3.99 million seats;
- Jakarta (Indonesia) — Singapore: 3.9 million seats;
- New York (USA) – London (UK): 3.88 million seats;
- Bangkok (Thailand) — Singapore: 3.5 million seats;
- Bangkok (Thailand) – Seoul (South Korea): 3.4 million seats.
Analysts expect further shifts in 2024, especially with the return of Chinese tourists influencing tourism markets in Southeast Asia.