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DALLAS — Domestic routes were the busiest in 2023, offering millions of seats annually and underscoring the significance of air travel within national borders.
A majority of these busiest routes are in the Asia-Pacific region, reflecting the region's dominance in domestic connections and the sheer volume of travelers on these routes.
In this comprehensive exploration of the busiest routes of 2023, we have compiled a list based on OAG data of some of the busiest routes of 2023 in terms of their notable seat capacities, emphasizing the critical role they play in connecting cities, cultures, and people.
Jeju International (CJU) to Seoul Gimpo (GMP), South Korea
Seat Capacity in 2023: 13,728,786 seats
Change vs 2022: -12%
Change vs 2019: -21%
Airline Operators: Korean Air (KE), Asiana Airlines (OZ), JejuAir (7C), Air Busan (BX), T’way Air (TW), Jin Air (LJ), EASTAR Jet (ZE), Air Seoul (RS)
Aircraft Types: Airbus A320 family, A220, A330, Boeing 737 family, 767
Sapporo New Chitose (CTS) to Tokyo Haneda (HND), Japan
Seat Capacity in 2023: 11,936,302 seat
Change vs 2022: 12%
Change vs 2019: -4%
Airline Operators: ANA (NH), Japan Airlines (JL), Air Do (HD), Skymark Airlines (BC)
Aircraft Types: Airbus A320 family, A350, Boeing 737 family, Boeing 767, 777, and 787 Dreamliner
Fukuoka (FUK) to Tokyo Haneda (HND), Japan
Seat Capacity in 2023: 11,264,229 seat
Change vs 2022: 8%
Change vs 2019: -1%
Airline Operators: ANA (NH), Japan Airlines (JL), Skymark Airlines (BC), StarFlyer (7G)
Aircraft Types: Airbus A320 family, A350, Boeing 737 family, 767, 777, and 787 Dreamliner
The diverse range of aircraft deployed on this route, including Airbus and Boeing's narrow-bodies and wide-bodies, points to the flexibility required to meet passenger needs on this route. There is only a 6% gap in capacity between the two busiest Japanese routes in 2023.
Hanoi (HAN) to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN), Vietnam
Seat Capacity in 2023: 10,883,555 seats
Change vs 2022: 3%
Change vs 2019: 6%
Airline Operators: Bamboo Airways (QH), Vietnam Airlines (VN), Vietjet Air (VJ), Vietravel Airlines (VU)
Aircraft Types: Airbus A320 family, A330, A350, Boeing 737 family, and 787 Dreamliner
Melbourne (MEL) to Sydney (SYD), Australia
Seat Capacity in 2023: 9,342,312 seats
Change vs 2022: 14%
Change vs 2019: -6%
Airline Operators: Qantas (QF), Jetstar (JQ), Virgin Australia (VA), Rex Airlines (ZL)
Aircraft Types: Airbus A320 family, A330, and Boeing 737 family
Beijing (PEK) to Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA), China
Seat Capacity in 2023: 8,355,225 seats
Change vs 2022: 49%
Change vs 2019: 3%
Airline Operators: Air China (CA), Hainan Airlines (HU), and China Eastern Airlines (MU)
Aircraft Types: Airbus A320 family, A330, A350, Boeing 737 family, 777, and 787 Dreamliner
Tokyo Haneda (HND) to Okinawa Naha (OKA), Japan
Seat Capacity in 2023: 7,982,218 seats
Change vs 2022: 9%
Change vs 2019: 4%
Airline Operators: ANA (NH), Japan Airlines (JL), Skymark Airlines (BC), Solaseed Air (6J)
Aircraft Types: Airbus A350, Boeing 737 family, Boeing 767, 777, and 787 Dreamliner
Jeddah (JED) to Riyadh (RUH), Saudi Arabia
Seat Capacity in 2023: 7,902,142 seats
Change vs 2022: 5%
Change vs 2019: -1%
Airline Operators: Saudia (SV), Flyadeal (F3), Flynas (XY)
Aircraft Types: Airbus A320 family, A330, Boeing 737 family, 777 and 787 Dreamliner
Mumbai (BOM) to Delhi (DEL), India
Seat Capacity in 2023: 7,276,430 seats
Change vs 2022: 4%
Change vs 2019: -12%
Airline Operators: Air India (AI), IndiGo (6E), Vistara (UK), SpiceJet (SG), Akasa Air (AK), Corendon Airlines (XC)
Aircraft Types: Airbus A320 family, Boeing 737 family, 777, and 787 Dreamliner
Jakarta (CGK) to Denpasar Bali (DPS), Indonesia
Seat Capacity in 2023: 7,190,961 seats
Change vs 2022: 1%
Change vs 2019: 8%
Airline Operators: Garuda Indonesia (GA), Batik Air (ID), Lion Air (JT), Citilink Indonesia (QG), Indonesia Air Asia (AK), Super Air Jet (SAJ), Nam Air (IN), TransNusa (IR), Pelita Air Service (6D)
Aircraft Types: Airbus A320 family, A330, Boeing 737 family, and 777
The Asia-Pacific region, in particular, continues to emerge as the epicenter of these high-capacity air corridors. The sheer volume of seat capacity, despite continuous changes in demand on these routes, highlights the adaptability of the airlines operating on these routes.
RouteRouteSeats in 2023Change vs 2022Change vs 2019CJU-GMPJeju International-Seoul Gimpo13,728,786-12%-21%CTS-HNDSapporo New Chitose-Tokyo Haneda11,936,30212%-4%FUK-HNDFukuoka-Tokyo Haneda11,264,2298%-1%HAN-SGNHanoi-Ho Chi Minh City10,883,5553%6%MEL-SYDMelbourne-Sydney9,342,31214%-6%PEK-SHABeijing-Shanghai Hongqiao8,355,22549%3%HND-OKATokyo Haneda-Okinawa Naha7,982,2189%4%JED-RUHJeddah-Riyadh7,902,1425%-1%BOM-DELMumbai-Delhi7,276,4304%-12%CGK-DPSJakarta-Denpasar-Bali7,190,9611%8%
Feature Image: Korean Air Boeing 777-2B5ER (HL7574). Photo: Brandon Farris/Airways.
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