World’s Busiest Air Routes in January 2024: Did Your City Make the List?
Skift Take
Key Points
- January 2024 saw high traffic on certain international air routes despite being a traditionally slow month.
- The Hong Kong to Taipei route was the busiest, with over 546,000 available seats.
- Other top routes included Cairo to Jeddah and Seoul to Tokyo Narita, highlighting the resilience of these travel corridors.
Summary
Despite January being a traditionally slow month for international flying, certain routes still experienced high traffic. The busiest international air route in January 2024 was Hong Kong to Taipei, with over half a million available seats. Other top routes included Cairo to Jeddah and Seoul to Tokyo Narita, with significant seat capacities as well. The data, sourced from OAG, highlights the resilience and importance of these travel corridors even during the off-peak season.
With the holiday season over and budgets tight, January is traditionally one of the quietest months of the year for international flying. Corporate traffic can be slow and weather is often suboptimal (if not sub-zero) at many key vacation destinations.
Even in the off-peak, there are still tens of millions of people flying worldwide – but which routes were the busiest this month? Using the latest data from analytics firm OAG, Skift can reveal the international flights that bucked the global trends and enjoyed the strongest start to the year.
1: Hong Kong to Taipei
Easily leading the pack in January for international capacity was Hong Kong to Taipei. With journeys typically taking less than 90 minutes between the two hubs, the route is popular with both business and leisure travelers.
Big-name airlines such as Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, and EVA Air often roster their largest widebody jets, which boosts passenger capacity but also helps carry more cargo. More than half a million seats were available during January 2024.
2: Cairo to Jeddah
In second place is the first of two Middle Eastern routes in the international top 10. While Cairo to Jeddah is a vital link for trade, the Saudi airport also serves as a key gateway to holy sites. Up to eight scheduled airlines link the two cities, with low-cost brands such as Air Arabia and flyadeal battling it out with flag carriers EgyptAir and Saudia.
3: Seoul to Tokyo Narita
In third position is the first of three appearances for Seoul. More than 428,000 seats were offered in January alone between the Incheon International Airport and Tokyo Narita.
The route linking the two Asian megacities is popular with budget firms and legacy airlines alike, with a total of 10 different companies flying between the pair. This ranking is all the more impressive considering that additional travel options to Tokyo Haneda Airport are also available.
Here’s the Top 10 List of Busiest International Routes:
| Route | Route Name | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HKG-TPE | Hong Kong - Taipei | 546,276 |
| 2 | CAI-JED | Cairo - Jeddah | 468,103 |
| 3 | ICN-NRT | Seoul Incheon - Tokyo Narita | 428,238 |
| 4 | KUL-SIN | Kuala Lumpur - Singapore Changi | 411,074 |
| 5 | ICN-KIX | Seoul Incheon - Osaka Kansai | 408,982 |
| 6 | DXB-RUH | Dubai - Riyadh | 384,044 |
| 7 | CGK-SIN | Jakarta - Singapore Changi | 352,438 |
| 8 | BKK-ICN | Bangkok - Seoul Incheon | 343,100 |
| 9 | BKK-HKG | Bangkok - Hong Kong | 336,323 |
| 10 | NRT-TPE | Tokyo Narita - Taipei | 325,577 |
| Source: OAG, Jan 30, 2024 |
Note that the OAG data is based on available seat capacity - not the number of passengers carried.
Come back tomorrow as we take a closer look at the busiest domestic routes in the United States for January. If you can't wait until then for your next data fix, check out our ranking of London Heathrow's busiest routes for 2023 here.
Photo Credit: Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific
Up Next
How Data Quality Issues Impact Global Hospitality Operations
U.S. Safety Investigators Are Reviewing Air Traffic Controller Staffing
United Airlines Shuts Down Rumors About a Merger
