KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 24 — The Kuala Lumpur to Singapore Changi route (KUL-SIN), once the busiest international airline route, has slipped to fourth place in 2024, according to OAG’s annual assessment of the world’s busiest flight routes.
With 5.4 million seats this year, the KUL-SIN route saw a modest decline, down from its top position in 2023.
However, the route still recorded a 10 per cent increase from the previous year and was only 3 per cent short of pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
Taking the crown as the busiest international route is the Hong Kong to Taipei route (HKG-TPE), which surged to 6.8 million seats in 2024.
This marks a significant rise of 48 per cent from the previous year, though it remains 15 per cent below 2019 levels.
The route had been the third busiest last year but had previously held the top spot in 2019.
The second and third busiest routes this year are Cairo to Jeddah (5.5 million seats) and Seoul Incheon to Tokyo Narita (5.4 million seats), respectively.
Meanwhile, the Bangkok to Hong Kong route has joined the Top 10, securing the seventh position with 4.2 million seats — a 29 per cent rise compared to 2023, though still 13 per cent down from 2019.
OAG’s report highlights that Asia-Pacific routes have experienced strong growth, continuing to recover from the pandemic. Notably, the Hong Kong-Taipei route has seen the most significant capacity boost.
Of the Top 10 busiest international routes for 2024, seven are based in Asia, while one each comes from Africa (Cairo to Jeddah), Europe/North America (New York JFK to London Heathrow), and the Middle East (Cairo to Jeddah and Dubai to Riyadh).
