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, a new study showed.
There were on average 84 flights daily making the short hop which takes about an hour, according to the study by air travel intelligence firm OAG.
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.
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.
This is followed by the Jakarta to Singapore route with 27,304 flights.
Rounding off the top five are the routes between Hong Kong and Shanghai Pudong with 21,888 flights in the past year and Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur, with 19,849 flights.
The busiest route outside of Asia comes in eighth place and it is the journey between New York’s La Guardia airport and Toronto in Canada, with 16,956 flights taking place over the last year.
In Europe, the routes from Dublin and Amsterdam to London Heathrow were the busiest coming in at 14th and 19th place. No Australian cities were featured in the top 20 list.
John Grant, a senior analyst with OAG, said: ‘These airline routes are among the most competitive in the world.
‘Given the demand, frequency and consumer choice on these routes, airlines are investing heavily to maximise capacity, profitability and market share.
‘Frequency, on time performance, connectivity and the in-flight experience all play a critical role in the battle to lead these markets.’
The study also found that Aer Lingus is the most punctual airline on the route from Dublin to London Heathrow with 84.7 per cent on time performance (OTP).
London is the final destination for 50 per cent of passengers on this route, while the other half travel onward to other cities, most commonly Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Lagos, Nigeria and Hong Kong.
For passengers travelling west from London to Dublin, the top five connecting destinations are all located in the United States: Chicago, Boston, New York, Washington and Newark.