2020 has thrown the entire aviation industry into disarray, shaking up the busiest air routes in the world. While the busiest routes usually stay quite similar, with only small seasonal changes, this year has been very different. So what are the busiest routes in the world now?
The old guard
Before jumping into the newest busiest air routes in the world, it might be helpful to know the old guard. According to data analysts OAG, these were the busiest air routes in 2019:
- Jeju – Seoul Gimpo (South Korea)
- Sapporo New Chitose – Tokyo Haneda (Japan)
- Fukuoka – Tokyo Haneda (Japan)
- Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam)
- Melbourne – Sydney (Australia)
- Delhi – Mumbai (India)
- Beijing Capital – Shanghai Hongqiao (China)
- Jeddah – Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)
- Hong Kong – Taipei (International)
- Tokyo Haneda – Okinawa (Japan)
As we can see domestic flights within the Asia Pacific dominate the list, with only one international route reaching the top 10 (also within the Asia Pacific). While the last has changed now, it is interesting to note the dominance of the Asian market in global seat availability.
The new routes
The coronavirus pandemic has canceled tens of thousands of daily flights globally. International travel has been hit the hardest, with countries closing their borders to protect themselves.
According to FlightRadar24, flight traffic is down around 30% right now, reaching as low as almost 75% in April. This sudden drop in traffic has altered the list too. Here are the new busiest routes, as of May 2020, according to FlightRadar24 via Traveller Australia.
- Jeju – Seoul (South Korea)
- Shanghai – Shenzhen (China)
- Ho Chi Minh – Hanoi (Vietnam)
- Shenzhen – Chengdu (China)
- Guangzhou – Chengdu (China)
- Busan – Seoul (South Korea)
- Busan – Jeju (South Korea)
- Shenzhen – Chongqing (China)
- Shanghai – Guangzhou (China)
- Chongqing – Guangzhou (China)
China’s early plunge, and subsequent recovery, from the coronavirus has allowed it’s domestic market to rebound before other countries. The country now holds 6 of the 10 busiest routes in the world. However, the Seoul-Jeju pair remains on the top, primarily due to South Korea controlling the virus without a lockdown or closure of flights.
The country also added two more routes to the list. Vietnam’s success in controlling the virus allowed the Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh pair to briefly become the busiest sector in the world.
Meanwhile, the Delhi-Mumbai and Sydney-Melbourne routes have been knocked out due to flight restrictions and capacity cuts. Notably, flight reductions in Japan have meant the country no longer figures on the list.
