• IATA’s latest World Air Transport Statistics (WATS) shows Asia Pacific accounted for nine of the world’s 10 busiest airport pairs in 2025, with Jeju–Seoul Gimpo remaining the busiest route at 13.3 million passengers.
• All of the global top 10 busiest airport pairs were domestic routes, highlighting the continued strength of high-frequency domestic aviation markets.
• The report also identifies the busiest airport pairs across Africa, Europe, Latin America and North America, based on passenger traffic during 2025.

Asia Pacific continued to dominate global domestic air travel in 2025, accounting for nine of the world’s 10 busiest airport pairs, according to the latest World Air Transport Statistics (WATS) released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The figures underline the strength of high-frequency domestic aviation across the region, with all of the world’s busiest airport pairs operating entirely within national borders.

South Korea’s Jeju International Airport–Seoul Gimpo International Airport route retained its position as the world’s busiest airport pair, carrying 13.3 million passengers during 2025. Japan occupied the next two places, with Sapporo–Tokyo Haneda recording 9.6 million passengers and Fukuoka–Tokyo Haneda handling 9.5 million.

Vietnam’s Hanoi–Ho Chi Minh City route ranked fourth globally with 8.9 million passengers, reflecting continued strength in domestic travel across Southeast Asia.

Outside Asia Pacific, the only airport pair to feature in the global top 10 was Jeddah–Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, which handled 7 million passengers and ranked fifth. Australia’s Melbourne Tullamarine–Sydney route also recorded 7 million passengers, while China’s Shanghai Hongqiao–Shenzhen, Tokyo Haneda–Okinawa, Mumbai–Delhi, and Beijing Capital–Shanghai Hongqiao completed the top 10. The rankings show that domestic routes continue to dominate the world’s highest-volume passenger markets, with no international airport pair appearing in the overall top 10.

Beyond the global rankings, IATA highlighted the busiest airport pairs within each region. In Africa, Cape Town International Airport–Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport remained the region’s busiest connection with 3.4 million passengers.

Latin America’s busiest route was Bogotá El Dorado–Medellín José María Córdova, carrying 3.5 million passengers.

Europe’s busiest airport pair remained Barcelona–Palma de Mallorca, with 2.1 million passengers, while Stockholm Arlanda–Malmö recorded the fastest growth in the region, with passenger numbers increasing 85 percent to 271,031. In North America, New York JFK–Los Angeles remained the busiest domestic airport pair with 2.2 million passengers, while New York JFK–London Heathrow was the busiest international airport pair from North America, carrying 2.1 million passengers.

The data forms part of IATA’s 2025 World Air Transport Statistics (WATS), which compiles operational data from 1,315 airlines, including more than 250 international carriers, providing an annual snapshot of global airline demand, capacity and operational performance.

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