Seoul-Jeju is world’s busiest air route
SEOUL: The world’s busiest air route isn’t London to Paris or New York to Los Angeles, but the trip between Seoul and a tiny island off the coast of South Korea.
Planes made 65,000 trips between the Korean capital and Jeju island — a journey of little more than an hour — last year, equivalent to 178 flights a day, according to data from OAG Aviation Worldwide Ltd.
That was almost double the 35,000 trips on the busiest North American route: Los Angeles to San Francisco.
Asian cities dominated the list, cementing the region’s status as the world’s fastest-growing travel market. Among the 10 busiest routes in the world last year, Los Angeles-San Francisco was the only North American entry and there wasn’t a single European destination.
The top European route in OAG’s rankings was Dublin-London Heathrow, with about 14,500 flights.
Jeju-Seoul
The beaches and resorts of Jeju have drawn local holidaymakers for decades. These days, Japanese and Chinese tourists are joining the South Koreans on the sand.
Melbourne-Sydney
Unless you have 10 hours to spare and love driving, a 90minute flight is the best way to shuttle between Australia’s two biggest population centres.
Mumbai-Delhi
The flight, taking less than two hours, connects the businesses of Mumbai with the political establishment in Delhi. An aviation boom means fares can be as cheap as a train ticket.
Fukuoka-Tokyo
The flight from Tokyo to Fukuoka on Kyushu island takes about two hours. That beats even a high-speed bullet train by several hours.
Rio de Janeiro-Sao Paulo
A one-hour flight connects Brazil’s two largest cities and the country’s economic and industrial powerhouses. Tickets can cost less than US$100 (RM400). Bloomberg