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World's busiest air routes: The busiest route in the world will surprise you

World's busiest air routes: The busiest route in the world will surprise you

What's the busiest air route in the world? Sydney to Melbourne? New York to Washington DC? London to Paris?

The correct answer will surprise you. The most in-demand flight on Earth is actually the 450km hop from Seoul Gimpo International (stop sniggering) to Jeju International. More than 11 million journeys were made between the two South Korean airports in 2015, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reports, and with a one-way capacity of 6,561,314 for 2016, according to aviation number crunchers OAG, that figure could yet rise to 13m this year.

Tokyo Haneda Airport | Airports of the world
Tokyo Haneda Airport | Airports of the world

 

Second on IATA's list is Sapporo-Tokyo Haneda, with 7.8m. But the Sydney-Melbourne route's reputation as one of the world's busiest is well deserved, coming in at fourth place. That's a high ranking considering the comparative sizes of the Australian cities to other destinations on the list.

New York-Washington DC and London-Paris, meanwhile, don't even make the top 10. The latter isn't all that surprising - most travellers between London and Paris now take the Eurostar train.

The world's busiest air routes

  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

A quick search on Skyscanner shows the planes bound for Jeju depart Seoul Gimpo with unerring regularity. Fancy going there on Monday? You could catch the 1935 service, the 1945, the 2010, the 2025, the 2045…

Soekarno-Hatta Airport Jakarta | Goodnewsfromindonesia.id
Soekarno-Hatta Airport Jakarta | Goodnewsfromindonesia.id

 

More than 26 million passengers used Jeju International, though this is significantly fewer than Australia's busiest - Sydney Airport's 42 million.

So what the devil is Jeju, and why are so many rushing to see it?

It's actually the capital of an island, Jejudo, which might just be the most popular holiday destination you've never heard of.

Jeju Island
Jeju Island

 

Unesco-listed, and billed as South Korea's answer to Hawaii, it's pure Instagram gold, and home to dramatic volcanic landscapes, underground caves, hiking trails and scenic beaches.

Halla Mountain, at 1940m above sea level, is South Korea's highest peak, while the cone of Seongsan Ilchulbong, or "Sunrise Peak", is particularly spectacular. 

Mt Halla | ROK Drop
Mt Halla | ROK Drop

 

In 2011 Jejudo was named among the "New7Wonders of Nature", though there were accusations that its selection was down not just to its beauty, but also the readiness of tourism or marketing organisations to stump up cash – including taxpayers' money – to support its campaign.

There are also casinos, which help lure tourists from China, and, thanks to the island's self-governing status, anyone can visit without a visa.

Jeju Love Islands | The Himalayan Times
Jeju Love Islands | The Himalayan Times

 

Bizarrely, there's also a sex-themed park, Jeju Love Land, which features phallus statues, interactive exhibits on the "masturbation cycle", and other sculptures of humans in flagrante. Love Land is said to owe its existence to Jejudo's popularity as a honeymoon destination. Young newlyweds would arrive knowing next to nothing about the birds and the bees so some hotel employees offered to share their expertise. The island soon became an unofficial centre for sex education, making the theme park entirely logical.

But Jejudo also has a dark side. In 1948 and 1949, the South Korean government brutally put down an attempted uprising on the island. Villagers, including women and children, were massacred, and as recently as 2008 mass graves were still being uncovered. Some 30,000 people died as a result of the uprising, with a further 40,000 fleeing to Japan, and the atrocities are remembered at the 4.3 Peace Park memorial.



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Tags: korea route
Akhyari Hananto

I began my career in the banking industry in 1997, and stayed approx 6 years in it. This industry boost his knowledge about the economic condition in Indonesia, both macro and micro, and how to More understand it. My banking career continued in Yogyakarta when I joined in a program funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB),as the coordinator for a program aimed to help improve the quality of learning and teaching process in private universities in Yogyakarta. When the earthquake stroke Yogyakarta, I chose to join an international NGO working in the area of ?disaster response and management, which allows me to help rebuild the city, as well as other disaster-stricken area in Indonesia. I went on to become the coordinator for emergency response in the Asia Pacific region. Then I was assigned for 1 year in Cambodia, as a country coordinator mostly to deliver developmental programs (water and sanitation, education, livelihood). In 2009, he continued his career as a protocol and HR officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Surabaya, and two years later I joined the Political and Economic Section until now, where i have to deal with extensive range of people and government officials, as well as private and government institution troughout eastern Indonesia. I am the founder and Editor-in-Chief in Good News From Indonesia (GNFI), a growing and influential social media movement, and was selected as one of The Most Influential Netizen 2011 by The Marketeers magazine. I also wrote a book on "Fundamentals of Disaster Management in 2007"?, "Good News From Indonesia : Beragam Prestasi Anak Bangsa di dunia"? which was luanched in August 2013, and "Indonesia Bersyukur"? which is launched in Sept 2013. In 2014, 3 books were released in which i was one of the writer; "Indonesia Pelangi Dunia"?, "Indonesia The Untold Stories"? and "Growing! Meretas Jalan Kejayaan" I give lectures to students in lectures nationwide, sharing on full range of issues, from economy, to diplomacy Less
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