Top 100 Busiest Flight Routes in January 2026

Using flight data from AeroDataBox API, we ranked the 100 busiest commercial flight routes in January 2026 of passenger airlines by total seat capacity and number.

At the top, nothing has changed. Seoul Gimpo ↔ Jeju retains its long-standing title as the world’s busiest flight route by seat capacity, with around 100 daily two-way flights and roughly 38,500 seats flowing between the two cities every day. The route’s dominance is a product of geography and competition: Jeju Island is South Korea’s premier leisure destination, drawing over 13 million air arrivals annually to an island of fewer than 700,000 residents, while multiple carriers fight intensely for that traffic, keeping fares accessible and frequencies high.

Tokyo Haneda ↔ Fukuoka and Tokyo Haneda ↔ Sapporo take second and third place — positions that can swap depending on the season. What makes both routes remarkable is that the Shinkansen bullet train offers credible competition on each corridor, and yet air travel still handles tens of millions of seats annually on both. Yet Hokkaido’s full Shinkansen extension remains under construction, keeping aviation the dominant option for that route year-round.

Beyond the top three, the broader picture is clear: Asia dominates. Nine of the top ten routes are either domestic Asian services or short-haul intra-Asian hops, and the list doesn’t thin out much after that. Ho Chi Minh City–Hanoi, Delhi–Mumbai, Riyadh–Jeddah: these corridors have held their relative positions for years, powered by large domestic populations and rapidly growing middle classes.

All figures are two-way, meaning they combine seats and flights flown in both directions on each route.

#	ROUTE	Approx daily flights (both ways)	Approx seat capacity per day (thousands)	Projected seat capacity per year (millions)
1	🇰🇷 Seoul Gimpo (GMP) ↔ 🇰🇷 Jeju (CJU)	200	38.5 K	14.3 M
2	🇯🇵 Tokyo Haneda (HND) ↔ 🇯🇵 Fukuoka (FUK)	117	29.9 K	11.1 M
3	🇯🇵 Tokyo Haneda (HND) ↔ 🇯🇵 Sapporo (CTS)	113	29.1 K	10.8 M
4	🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) ↔ 🇻🇳 Hanoi (HAN)	136	28.7 K	10.7 M
5	🇦🇺 Sydney (SYD) ↔ 🇦🇺 Melbourne (MEL)	123	21.2 K	7.9 M
6	🇸🇦 Riyadh (RUH) ↔ 🇸🇦 Jeddah (JED)	137	21.0 K	7.8 M
7	🇭🇰 Hong Kong (HKG) ↔ 🇹🇼 Taipei (TPE)	84	19.0 K	7.1 M
8	🇸🇽 St. Maarten (SXM) ↔ 🇧🇱 St. Barths (SBH)	121	18.3 K	6.8 M
9	🇮🇳 New Delhi (DEL) ↔ 🇮🇳 Mumbai (BOM)	112	18.0 K	6.7 M
10	🇯🇵 Naha (Okinawa) (OKA) ↔ 🇯🇵 Tokyo Haneda (HND)	70	17.3 K	6.4 M
11	🇯🇵 Tokyo Haneda (HND) ↔ 🇯🇵 Osaka Itami (ITM)	59	16.5 K	6.1 M
12	🇨🇴 Medellín (MDE) ↔ 🇨🇴 Bogotá (BOG)	109	16.5 K	6.1 M
13	🇿🇦 Johannesburg (JNB) ↔ 🇿🇦 Cape Town (CPT)	100	16.2 K	6.0 M
14	🇮🇩 Jakarta (CGK) ↔ 🇮🇩 Bali (DPS)	92	14.8 K	5.5 M
15	🇧🇷 São Paulo Congonhas (CGH) ↔ 🇧🇷 Rio (Santos Dumont) (SDU)	95	14.7 K	5.5 M
16	🇨🇳 Shenzhen (SZX) ↔ 🇨🇳 Beijing Capital (PEK)	58	14.7 K	5.5 M
17	🇮🇳 Bangalore (BLR) ↔ 🇮🇳 New Delhi (DEL)	81	14.3 K	5.3 M
18	🇮🇩 Jakarta (CGK) ↔ 🇮🇩 Makassar (UPG)	92	14.3 K	5.3 M
19	🇰🇷 Seoul Incheon (ICN) ↔ 🇯🇵 Tokyo Narita (NRT)	69	14.2 K	5.3 M
20	🇰🇷 Seoul Incheon (ICN) ↔ 🇯🇵 Osaka Kansai (KIX)	73	14.0 K	5.2 M
21	🇸🇬 Singapore (SIN) ↔ 🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur (KUL)	72	13.4 K	5.0 M
22	🇦🇺 Sydney (SYD) ↔ 🇦🇺 Brisbane (BNE)	75	13.0 K	4.9 M
23	🇸🇦 Jeddah (JED) ↔ 🇪🇬 Cairo (CAI)	76	12.7 K	4.7 M
24	🇦🇪 Dubai (DXB) ↔ 🇸🇦 Riyadh (RUH)	58	11.9 K	4.4 M
25	🇦🇺 Melbourne (MEL) ↔ 🇦🇺 Brisbane (BNE)	71	11.8 K	4.4 M
26	🇿🇦 Johannesburg (JNB) ↔ 🇿🇦 Durban (DUR)	73	11.8 K	4.4 M
27	🇨🇴 Cali (CLO) ↔ 🇨🇴 Bogotá (BOG)	77	11.6 K	4.3 M
28	🇸🇬 Singapore (SIN) ↔ 🇮🇩 Jakarta (CGK)	64	11.2 K	4.2 M
29	🇮🇩 Medan (KNO) ↔ 🇮🇩 Jakarta (CGK)	68	11.0 K	4.1 M
30	🇯🇵 Tokyo Narita (NRT) ↔ 🇹🇼 Taipei (TPE)	45	11.0 K	4.1 M
31	🇨🇳 Hangzhou (HGH) ↔ 🇨🇳 Shenzhen (SZX)	64	11.0 K	4.1 M
32	🇹🇭 Bangkok (BKK) (BKK) ↔ 🇭🇰 Hong Kong (HKG)	42	10.9 K	4.0 M
33	🇮🇩 Jakarta (CGK) ↔ 🇮🇩 Surabaya (SUB)	69	10.8 K	4.0 M
34	🇹🇭 Chiang Mai (CNX) ↔ 🇹🇭 Bangkok (DMK) (DMK)	60	10.6 K	4.0 M
35	🇨🇳 Guangzhou (CAN) ↔ 🇨🇳 Beijing Capital (PEK)	40	10.5 K	3.9 M
36	🇮🇳 Bangalore (BLR) ↔ 🇮🇳 Mumbai (BOM)	61	10.5 K	3.9 M
37	🇰🇷 Seoul Incheon (ICN) ↔ 🇯🇵 Fukuoka (FUK)	50	10.4 K	3.9 M
38	🇮🇳 Cartagena (CTG) ↔ 🇨🇴 Bogotá (BOG)	67	10.3 K	3.8 M
39	🇨🇳 Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) ↔ 🇨🇳 Shenzhen (SZX)	60	10.2 K	3.8 M
40	🇲🇽 Monterrey (MTY) ↔ 🇲🇽 Mexico City (MEX)	57	10.1 K	3.7 M
41	🇨🇳 Hangzhou (HGH) ↔ 🇨🇳 Guangzhou (CAN)	66	10.1 K	3.7 M
42	🇺🇸 Los Angeles (LAX) ↔ 🇺🇸 Las Vegas (LAS)	64	10.0 K	3.7 M
43	🇹🇭 Phuket (HKT) ↔ 🇹🇭 Bangkok (DMK) (DMK)	55	9.8 K	3.6 M
44	🇻🇳 Hanoi (HAN) ↔ 🇻🇳 Da Nang (DAD)	55	9.8 K	3.6 M
45	🇨🇳 Chengdu (CTU) ↔ 🇨🇳 Beijing Capital (PEK)	48	9.7 K	3.6 M
46	🇯🇵 Tokyo Haneda (HND) ↔ 🇯🇵 Kagoshima (KOJ)	48	9.6 K	3.6 M
47	🇹🇭 Phuket (HKT) ↔ 🇹🇭 Bangkok (BKK) (BKK)	57	9.6 K	3.6 M
48	🇰🇷 Busan (PUS) ↔ 🇰🇷 Jeju (CJU)	56	9.6 K	3.6 M
49	🇸🇬 Singapore (SIN) ↔ 🇹🇭 Bangkok (BKK) (BKK)	35	9.6 K	3.6 M
50	🇺🇸 San Francisco (SFO) ↔ 🇺🇸 Los Angeles (LAX)	64	9.3 K	3.5 M
51	🇨🇳 Shanghai Pudong (PVG) ↔ 🇭🇰 Hong Kong (HKG)	45	9.2 K	3.4 M
52	🇯🇵 Osaka Kansai (KIX) ↔ 🇹🇼 Taipei (TPE)	37	9.2 K	3.4 M
53	🌍 Cusco (CUZ) ↔ 🌍 Lima (LIM)	61	9.2 K	3.4 M
54	🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur (KUL) ↔ 🇮🇩 Jakarta (CGK)	54	9.2 K	3.4 M
55	🇺🇸 Los Angeles (LAX) ↔ 🇺🇸 New York (JFK) (JFK)	53	9.1 K	3.4 M
56	🇨🇳 Guangzhou (CAN) ↔ 🇨🇳 Beijing Daxing (PKX)	47	9.1 K	3.4 M
57	🇹🇭 Chiang Mai (CNX) ↔ 🇹🇭 Bangkok (BKK) (BKK)	54	9.1 K	3.4 M
58	🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur (KUL) ↔ 🇲🇾 Kota Kinabalu (BKI)	54	9.0 K	3.3 M
59	🇨🇳 Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) ↔ 🇨🇳 Beijing Capital (PEK)	49	8.9 K	3.3 M
60	🇨🇦 Toronto (YYZ) ↔ 🇨🇦 Vancouver (YVR)	43	8.9 K	3.3 M
61	🇹🇭 Bangkok (BKK) (BKK) ↔ 🇹🇼 Taipei (TPE)	33	8.9 K	3.3 M
62	🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) ↔ 🇻🇳 Da Nang (DAD)	58	8.8 K	3.3 M
63	🇭🇰 Hong Kong (HKG) ↔ 🇯🇵 Tokyo Narita (NRT)	39	8.8 K	3.3 M
64	🇹🇿 Zanzibar (ZNZ) ↔ 🇹🇿 Dar es Salaam (DAR)	57	8.7 K	3.2 M
65	🇭🇰 Hong Kong (HKG) ↔ 🇰🇷 Seoul Incheon (ICN)	37	8.5 K	3.2 M
66	🇺🇸 Phoenix (PHX) ↔ 🇺🇸 Denver (DEN)	53	8.5 K	3.2 M
67	🇺🇸 Fort Lauderdale (FLL) ↔ 🇺🇸 Atlanta (ATL)	44	8.4 K	3.1 M
68	🇺🇸 Chicago O’Hare (ORD) ↔ 🇺🇸 New York (LGA) (LGA)	62	8.4 K	3.1 M
69	🇦🇺 Sydney (SYD) ↔ 🇦🇺 Gold Coast (OOL)	49	8.3 K	3.1 M
70	🇺🇸 Maui (Kahului) (OGG) ↔ 🇺🇸 Honolulu (HNL)	57	8.3 K	3.1 M
71	🇺🇸 Orlando (MCO) ↔ 🇺🇸 Atlanta (ATL)	45	8.3 K	3.1 M
72	🇺🇸 New York (JFK) (JFK) ↔ 🇬🇧 London Heathrow (LHR)	35	8.3 K	3.1 M
73	🇲🇽 Cancún (CUN) ↔ 🇲🇽 Mexico City (MEX)	48	8.2 K	3.1 M
74	🇨🇳 Harbin (HRB) ↔ 🇨🇳 Shanghai Pudong (PVG)	50	8.2 K	3.1 M
75	🇨🇳 Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) ↔ 🇨🇳 Guangzhou (CAN)	54	8.2 K	3.0 M
76	🇦🇪 Dubai (DXB) ↔ 🇬🇧 London Heathrow (LHR)	21	8.2 K	3.0 M
77	🇸🇬 Singapore (SIN) ↔ 🇭🇰 Hong Kong (HKG)	34	8.2 K	3.0 M
78	🇮🇳 Hyderabad (HYD) ↔ 🇮🇳 New Delhi (DEL)	52	8.1 K	3.0 M
79	🇰🇿 Astana (NQZ) ↔ 🇰🇿 Almaty (ALA)	50	8.1 K	3.0 M
80	🇹🇭 Bangkok (BKK) (BKK) ↔ 🇰🇷 Seoul Incheon (ICN)	33	8.0 K	3.0 M
81	🇯🇵 Naha (Okinawa) (OKA) ↔ 🇯🇵 Fukuoka (FUK)	47	7.9 K	2.9 M
82	🇦🇪 Dubai (DXB) ↔ 🇸🇦 Jeddah (JED)	34	7.8 K	2.9 M
83	🇨🇳 Chengdu (CTU) ↔ 🇨🇳 Shenzhen (SZX)	42	7.8 K	2.9 M
84	🇸🇦 Riyadh (RUH) ↔ 🇪🇬 Cairo (CAI)	44	7.8 K	2.9 M
85	🇮🇳 New Delhi (DEL) ↔ 🇮🇳 Kolkata (CCU)	50	7.7 K	2.9 M
86	🇳🇿 Christchurch (CHC) ↔ 🇳🇿 Auckland (AKL)	46	7.7 K	2.9 M
87	🇨🇦 Calgary (YYC) ↔ 🇨🇦 Vancouver (YVR)	48	7.6 K	2.8 M
88	🇺🇸 New York (LGA) (LGA) ↔ 🇺🇸 Atlanta (ATL)	47	7.6 K	2.8 M
89	🇸🇦 Jeddah (JED) ↔ 🇸🇦 Dammam (DMM)	49	7.5 K	2.8 M
90	🇨🇳 Chongqing (CKG) ↔ 🇨🇳 Shenzhen (SZX)	45	7.5 K	2.8 M
91	🇯🇵 Tokyo Haneda (HND) ↔ 🇯🇵 Kumamoto (KMJ)	37	7.5 K	2.8 M
92	🇰🇷 Seoul Incheon (ICN) ↔ 🇹🇼 Taipei (TPE)	27	7.5 K	2.8 M
93	🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur (KUL) ↔ 🇲🇾 Kuching (KCH)	47	7.5 K	2.8 M
94	🇨🇦 Toronto (YYZ) ↔ 🇨🇦 Montreal (YUL)	45	7.4 K	2.8 M
95	🇦🇺 Melbourne (MEL) ↔ 🇦🇺 Gold Coast (OOL)	42	7.4 K	2.8 M
96	🇲🇽 Mexico City (MEX) ↔ 🇲🇽 Guadalajara (GDL)	45	7.4 K	2.8 M
97	🇨🇳 Shenzhen (SZX) ↔ 🇨🇳 Beijing Daxing (PKX)	39	7.4 K	2.7 M
98	🇨🇳 Hangzhou (HGH) ↔ 🇨🇳 Beijing Capital (PEK)	40	7.3 K	2.7 M
99	🇨🇳 Sanya (SYX) ↔ 🇨🇳 Beijing Capital (PEK)	26	7.3 K	2.7 M
100	🇦🇺 Adelaide (ADL) ↔ 🇦🇺 Melbourne (MEL)	44	7.3 K	2.7 M

Source: AeroDataBox API. Figures represent approximate combined two-way seat capacity for January 2026. No rights can be derived from it.