What’s the world’s busiest air route? It’s not what you think it is

What’s the world’s busiest air route? It’s not what you think it is

TORONTO — With the holidays in full swing, airports around the world are busier than ever, with central hubs like New York, London and Paris no doubt seeing their fair share of commuters. But did any of these make the list of busiest air routes in the world?

Surprisingly, no.

According to IATA reports, the most in-demand flight on earth is the quick 280-mile circuit from Seoul Gimpo International to Jeju International in South Korea, which saw more than 11 million journeys in 2015. Second on the list is Sapporo-Tokyo Haneda with 7.8 million journeys made, while Fukuoka-Tokyo Haneda rounded out the top three with 5,961,277 flights. In fact, nine out of the 10 on the list are Asian-specific routes. London, New York and Paris didn’t even make the cut.

Here’s the full list:

1. Jeju International – Seoul Gimpo International (one-way capacity 2016): 6,561,314

2. Sapporo New Chitose – Tokyo Haneda: 6,209,366

3. Fukuoka – Tokyo Haneda: 5,961,277

4. Melbourne – Sydney Kingsford Smith: 5,067,167

5. Taipei Taiwan Taoyuan International – Hong Kong International: 4,146,547

6. Delhi – Mumbai: 4,143,639

7. Ho Chi Minh City – Hanoi: 4,141,322

8. Beijing Capital International – Shanghai Hongqiao International: 3,962,081

9. Surabaya – Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta: 3,849,866

10. Tokyo Haneda – Okinawa Naha: 3,784,546

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