Which Domestic Route is the World's Busiest in 2025, According to OAG Data?

The South Korean domestic link between Seoul Gimpo (GMP) and Jeju International (CJU) is the world's busiest air route for 2025. Aviation analyst OAG revealed this finding in its annual ranking of the busiest airline routes. The short-haul route to the popular island destination is scheduled for 14.4 million seats. This figure translates to nearly 40,000 seats available each day for the 75-minute journey. Seven different carriers compete on this highly competitive corridor.

Asia-Pacific Domestic Dominance

The OAG analysis highlights the strength of Asia-Pacific domestic routes in the global market. Nine of the world's top ten busiest routes are located within this region. All ten of the top global links are domestic flights.

Japan’s domestic market holds three of the top ten spots. The route from Tokyo Haneda (HND) to Sapporo New Chitose (CTS) is second globally. This link to the northern island of Hokkaido has 12.1 million seats scheduled. Tokyo Haneda (HND) to Fukuoka (FUK) ranks third with 11.5 million seats. The third Japanese route, HND to Okinawa Naha (OKA), is ranked seventh overall.

Vietnam’s busiest domestic link, Hanoi (HAN) to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN), is fourth globally. This route is the busiest worldwide that does not connect a national capital with an island city. India’s major trunk route, Mumbai (BOM) to Delhi (DEL), ranks eighth with 7.6 million seats. China's domestic market also features prominently in the top ten. The Beijing (PEK) to Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) route is ninth. The link from Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) to Shenzhen (SZX) is tenth, completing the top global list.

Busiest Routes Outside Asia

The only route outside the Asia-Pacific region in the top ten is the Jeddah to Riyadh air route in Saudi Arabia. This Middle Eastern domestic link ranks fifth globally with 9.8 million seats. It is also the fastest-growing route in the top ten, with a 13% year-on-year capacity increase. Australia’s Melbourne (MEL) to Sydney (SYD) route ranks sixth overall. This is the highest-rated journey that does not involve a national capital city.

International and Regional Context

For cross-border travel, the Hong Kong (HKG) to Taipei (TPE) corridor is the world’s busiest international route. It has 6.8 million seats scheduled for 2025. This route has consistently topped the international rankings. The strength of these emerging markets highlights a global shift in global aviation capacity trends.

The OAG data also provides a breakdown of the busiest domestic routes by continent:

• Latin America: Bogota (BOG) to Medellin (MDE) is the busiest, with 6.2 million seats.
• Africa: Cape Town (CPT) to Johannesburg (JNB) is the busiest, with 5.5 million seats.
• North America: The top route is Canada’s Vancouver (YVR) to Toronto (YYZ), with 3.7 million seats. The busiest US domestic link is New York JFK (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX), with 3.4 million seats.
• Europe: The busiest route is Barcelona (BCN) to Palma (PMI), with 3.0 million seats.

This relatively lower ranking for Europe and North America is due to the OAG study methodology. The rankings focus on airport-to-airport routes, not city-to-city pairs. For example, a city like London is served by multiple airports, splitting its overall traffic volume. This is a key factor for aviation news and flight operation news professionals to consider when analyzing market demand.

The intense competition on these short-haul, high-frequency routes drives down fares. For instance, the average one-way fare on the Seoul-Jeju route is reported at $44. The high volume on these routes presents both an opportunity for airlines and a challenge for airport infrastructure and air traffic control.