CEBU, 13 March 2019: The 10 fastest-growing passenger routes in the Asia-Pacific region have been revealed in a study published by Routesonline.
The study, released this week during Routes Asia hosted in Cebu, shows flight between South Korea’s capital city Seoul and a coastal city in central Vietnam taking the top spot.
There was a 71% rise in passengers flying between Seoul’s Incheon International Airport and Danang International Airport making it the fastest-growing route in the Asia-Pacific region.
More than 2.2 million passengers took flights between the two destinations, which links South Korea’s capital and the largest city in central Vietnam, compared with 1.29 million just a year earlier.
The growth is enough to place the route at number one in the rankings, comfortably ahead of Manila (MNL) – Iloilo (ILO) in second place.
Routesonline’s research studied the top 100 passenger routes to and from as well as within the Asia-Pacific region during 2018 using the latest data provided by Sabre Market Intelligence.
The list was then ranked by percentage annual growth when compared with the same period in 2017.
According to OAG Schedules Analyser, two-way capacity on the Seoul (ICN) – Danang (DAD) route jumped by 73% in 2018 to 2.8 million available seats. Research showed that 10 carriers served the market, up from nine in 2017.
Jin Air had a 20% capacity share of all seats on offer last year, with Korean Air on 15.1% t and Jeju Airlines on 13.2%. Research confirmed 12,100 flight departures on the route, compared with fewer than 7,500 in 2017.
The Manila (MNL) – Iloilo (ILO) route connects the capital of the Philippines with Iloilo City on Panay Island. Total passenger traffic increased by nearly 48% in 2018 to more than 2.1 million passengers.
Overall two-way capacity rose by 49% in 2018 compared with the previous year increasing to 2.53 million seats. Cebu Pacific commanded a 50.5% capacity share, followed by Philippine Airlines with 31.3% and Philippines AirAsia with 18.2%.
Joint third in the list are two domestic routes. The first links Indonesia’s bustling capital Jakarta with the port city of Palembang, while the second connects Hyderabad in south India with Bengaluru, the centre of the country’s high-tech industry. Both routes increased passenger numbers by 20% in 2018.
Routes brand director, Steven Small said: “Across Asia there is a huge amount to be optimistic about. Capacity increases are planned across many markets, while increasing liberalisation will enable the growth of airlines.
Asia’s fastest growing airline routes
| Rank (in top 100 routes)* | Route | 2018 | 2017 | % difference** |
| 88 | Seoul (ICN) – Da Nang (DAD) | 2213341 | 1292719 | 71.2% |
| 96 | Manila (MNL) – Iloilo (ILO) | 2111612 | 1427284 | 47.9% |
| 52 | Palembang (PLM) – Jakarta (CGK) | 2677317 | 2230840 | 20.0% |
| 69 | Hyderabad (HYD) – Bengaluru (BLR) | 2454508 | 2045790 | 20.0% |
| 55 | Jakarta (CGK) – Semarang (SRG) | 2632382 | 2248347 | 17.1% |
| 21 | Jakarta (CGK) – Medan (KNO) | 4502828 | 3883787 | 15.9% |
| 71 | Chongqing (CKG) – Shenzhen (SZX) | 2425607 | 2092200 | 15.9% |
| 39 | Delhi (DEL) – Hyderabad (HYD) | 2981958 | 2575461 | 15.8% |
| 53 | Chiang Mai (CNX) – Bangkok (BKK) | 2664983 | 2306449 | 15.5% |
| 36 | Kuala Lumpur (KUL) – Jakarta (CGK) | 3180185 | 2754740 | 15.4% |
*Overall ranking for Asian routes based on 2018 passenger volumes. The study covered 100 routes to and from and within the Asia-Pacific region.
** Top 10 Asian routes are based on the percentage growth between the two years not passenger volume.
