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World's busiest air route connects Korean island to Seoul

Dec 23, 2025, 10:09 PM10
(Update: Dec 23, 2025, 10:09 PM)
Travel journalist
air travel intelligence company

World's busiest air route connects Korean island to Seoul

  • The busiest air route worldwide in 2025 links an island off South Korea with Seoul's secondary airport, providing nearly 40,000 seats daily.
  • Major domestic routes in East Asia contribute significantly to global air travel statistics, including routes from Tokyo and Vietnam.
  • The increasing prevalence of low fares illustrates the booming popularity of these air links among holidaymakers and regular commuters.
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In 2025, the world's busiest air route is a domestic flight connecting an island off the coast of South Korea with Seoul's secondary airport. This route has gained immense popularity due to very low fares, costing as little as £14 even for last-minute bookings. Each day, nearly 40,000 seats are available for passengers, primarily catering to holidaymakers travelling within the country. Other significant air routes include those originating from Tokyo’s Haneda airport, serving Sapporo, Fukuoka, and Okinawa, reflecting the high demand for domestic travel in Japan. Meanwhile, Vietnam's route from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City ranks fourth globally, offering 30,000 daily seats, making it the busiest international route that does not connect capitals or island cities. Two major cities in Saudi Arabia, Riyadh and Jeddah, come next with a robust service of 27,000 daily seats, illustrating the connectivity across the Kingdom. Australia’s involvement in the rankings shows one of its busiest links from Melbourne to Sydney that supports nearly 25,000 seats daily. Other notable routes include domestic flights within India, linking Delhi and Mumbai with 21,000 seats, and a busy route to Beijing and Shenzhen in China. While the international connection between Hong Kong and Taipei emerges just outside the top ten with almost 19,000 daily seats, the dominance of air travel routes in East Asia signifies a growing trend in passenger mobility in this region. When observing the broader context of global air travel, it becomes clear that domestic routes in regions like Africa and Latin America exhibit higher traffic compared to Europe and North America, especially considering that Canada holds the highest seat capacity route in North America, linking Toronto and Vancouver with 10,000 daily flights. The analysis of these statistics reveals not only the high demand for specific air travel routes but also sheds light on the competitive fare structures guiding consumer choices as well as the continual expansion of domestic air travel markets.

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