Short hop Singapore-KL route busiest

singapore — A one-hour flight linking one of the smallest countries on the planet with its nextdoor neighbour is the world’s busiest international route.

Planes made 30,537 trips between Singapore and the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur in the 12 months to February, according to a report by OAG Aviation Worldwide Ltd. That’s the equivalent of 84 flights a day in a city state with a population of just 5.6 million.

In a top-20 list dominated by Asia, the highest-ranking route outside the region ran between New York and Toronto. There were 16,956 flights on that leg. The trip between Dublin and London Heathrow ranked 14th and was the busiest European entry with 14,390 flights.

In terms of passenger numbers, Hong Kong-Taipei tops the list with 6.5 million people flying that route in the 12-month period, the report showed. That’s followed by Jakarta-Singapore with 4.7 million and Kuala Lumpur-Singapore with 4 million.

Asia is the world’s fastestgrowing travel market. But even the most frantic international routes don’t come close to the most popular domestic flights. The world’s busiest air route, bar none, is between Seoul and a tiny island off the coast of South Korea. Planes made 65,000 trips between the South Korean capital and Jeju island in 2017, according to OAG. — Bloomberg

Demand for air travel remains strong, supported by the comparatively healthy economic backdrop Alexandre de Juniac, director-general and CEO, Iata

dubai — The Dubai-Kuwait route has been ranked 9th among the ‘World’s 20 Busiest Routes’, according to a study by air travel intelligence firm OAG Aviation.

The results were based on frequency in the 12 months between March 2017 and February 2018 with 15,332 flights and more than 2.7 million passengers carried. It is the busiest route in the entire Middle East and Africa region.

Emirates airline remains the largest carrier on the route with 49 per cent share in the total capacity. The other airlines are flydubai, Kuwait Airways and Jazeera Airways.

Dubai International remains an major hub with 38 per cent connecting share and 62 per cent local share at destination.

The trip between Singapore and the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur is the world’s busiest international air route, with more than 30,500 flights between the cities in the year to February, the study showed.

There were on average 84 flights daily making the short hop which takes about an hour, according to the study.

A large number of airlines serve the route, from full-service carriers such as Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines to budget ones like AirAsia.

A high-speed railway line is being built to link the cities and is expected to be completed in 2026, cutting travel time overland to 90 minutes from around five hours.

Asia dominated the list of the world’s 20 busiest international air routes, with 14 operating to and from destinations in the region, Britain-based OAG said.

Two operate within Europe, two in North America, one between North America and Europe, while another is in the Middle East, it added.

The world’s second busiest air route is between Hong Kong and the Taiwanese capital Taipei, with 28,887 flights in the year to February, followed by the Jakarta to Singapore route with 27,304 flights.

In a top-20 list dominated by Asia, the highest-ranking route outside the region ran between New York and Toronto, with 16,956 flights on that leg. The trip between Dublin and Heathrow ranked 14th and was the busiest European entry with 14,390 flights.

In terms of passenger numbers, Hong Kong-Taipei tops the list with 6.5 million people flying that route in the 12-month period, the report showed. That’s followed by Jakarta-Singapore with 4.7 million and Kuala Lumpur-Singapore with 4 million.

Asia is the world’s fastest-growing travel market. But even the most frantic international routes don’t come close to the most popular domestic flights. The world’s busiest air route, bar none, is between Seoul and a tiny island off the coast of South Korea. Planes made 65,000 trips between the South Korean capital and Jeju island in 2017.