The popular Aussie flight route that is one of the busiest in the world
One of Australia's most popular domestic flight routes is one of the busiest travel stretches in the world, according to new aviation data.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released its 2024 World Air Transport Statistics report, updated annually with data from over 240 international airlines.
Of the busiest routes in the world, all but one in the top 10 were in the Asia Pacific region.
READ MORE: Helpful new detail for travellers in the Qantas app, after major airlines announce bans
Australia's busiest airline route is the fifth busiest in the world. Glenn Hunt/AFR
The South Korean route of Jeju to Seoul was the most popular route globally.
The 1 hour and 15 minute trip travels between the island resort city of Jeju (CJU) and the capital, Seoul, with 13.2 million passengers flying between the two airports in 2024.
READ MORE: The best city in the world for a 'workcation' revealed
Melbourne-Sydney was the busiest route in the country, and was the fifth busiest airport route overall in 2024.
Over 9 million passengers travelled the stretch between the two capital cities in 2024.
Jeddah to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia was the only route in the top 10 not in the Asia Pacific region.
READ MORE: Remote Aussie islands are the best place in the country for stargazing
Only one of the top 10 routes was not in the Asia Pacific. Getty
The busiest route in North America was New York JFK to Los Angeles, with 2.2 million passengers making the voyage last year.
Meanwhile, in Europe the busiest route was the hour-long flight between the Spanish tourism spots of Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca, with 2 million passengers travelling along here in 2024.
When it comes to the countries where the most people travel, it is little surprise that the US was the world's biggest aviation market, with 876 million passengers per year in 2024, mostly flying domestically.
That's four times more than India, which is the world's most populous nation and the fifth biggest aviation market.
China came in second with 741 million passengers in 2024, but it saw the most growth with 18.7 per cent year-on-year.
Meanwhile, the UK may only be a 244000-square-kilometre island nation, but it's the world's number three aviation market, with 261 million passengers scooting above land and sea in 2024.
