As one sometimes does in the quiet days just before—or just after—the New Year, I found myself looking back at the main events of the past twelve months. It’s a reassuring ritual: a mix of memory, curiosity, and the comforting illusion that we might somehow make sense of it all.

While wandering through various “year in review” web pages, I stumbled upon a list that immediately caught my attention: the ten busiest flight routes of 2025. What struck me first was not the numbers, but the geography. Remarkably, every single one of them is located in the Asian region. Not a single transatlantic hop, no European shuttle, no New York–Los Angeles in sight. Just Asia, Asia, and more Asia.

Here’s the list:

1. 🇰🇷 Jeju (CJU) – 🇰🇷 Seoul Gimpo (GMP)
2. 🇯🇵 Sapporo New Chitose (CTS) – 🇯🇵 Tokyo Haneda (HND)
3. 🇯🇵 Fukuoka (FUK) – 🇯🇵 Tokyo Haneda (HND)
4. 🇻🇳 Hanoi (HAN) – 🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (SGN)
5. 🇸🇦 Jeddah (JED) – 🇸🇦 Riyadh (RUH)
6. 🇦🇺 Melbourne (MEL) – 🇦🇺 Sydney (SYD)
7. 🇯🇵 Tokyo Haneda (HND) – 🇯🇵 Okinawa Naha (OKA)
8. 🇮🇳 Mumbai (BOM) – 🇮🇳 Delhi (DEL)
9. 🇨🇳 Beijing (PEK) – 🇨🇳 Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA)
10. 🇨🇳 Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) – 🇨🇳 Shenzhen (SZX)

I have passed through several of these airports myself over the years, and I must say: I am not surprised at all. These are routes that connect economic powerhouses, political capitals, holiday destinations, and cities where air travel is often faster—and sometimes more practical—than the train. Anyone who has stood in Haneda at peak hours or watched the endless stream of departures in Shanghai will immediately understand.

What this list quietly illustrates is how the centre of gravity of global travel continues to shift. Dense populations, thriving economies, and a deeply ingrained culture of domestic air travel make these routes pulse day and night. Planes take off, land, refuel, and repeat—efficiently, relentlessly, and with barely a pause.

It’s also a gentle reminder that while we often think of “busy airports” in terms of Heathrow, JFK, or Frankfurt, the real heavy lifting of global aviation happens elsewhere, far from the Atlantic headlines.

Looking back at the year through such details is oddly satisfying. It doesn’t explain everything—but it does tell a story. And sometimes, a list of flight routes says more about the world than a dozen political speeches.

Food for thought, somewhere between two boarding calls.

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