Cairo-Jeddah Ranked Second Busiest Route Globally in 2024 

The Cairo-Jeddah route has emerged as the second busiest international flight corridor in 2024, with nearly 5.5 million seats sold, reflecting a significant rise in passenger traffic between Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

The route has seen remarkable growth, climbing from 14th in 2019 to second place in consecutive years, 2023 and 2024.

Cairo has also solidified its status as Africa’s leading aviation hub, with routes originating from the Egyptian capital dominating the continent’s top five busiest corridors.

The city continues to leverage its location as a gateway to both Africa and the Middle East.

The surge in travel demand comes amid Egypt’s push to position itself as a global tourism destination.

The country has reported a steady rise in international arrivals, driven by its historical landmarks, cultural appeal, and relaxed visa policies.

Cairo International Airport has played a key role in supporting this growth.

Globally, Hong Kong-Taipei reclaimed its position as the busiest international route with 6.8 million seats available this year, marking a return to its pre-pandemic prominence.

The route, which topped the rankings in 2019, has seen a revival in demand after slipping to third place in 2023.

Other top routes include Seoul-Tokyo Narita and Seoul-Osaka Kansai, which ranked third and fourth respectively.

Meanwhile, Singapore-Kuala Lumpur, the previous year’s busiest route, fell to fifth place with 4.9 million seats.

In domestic travel, Asian routes led the rankings. Jeju International-Seoul Gimpo maintained its position as the busiest domestic route globally, with 14.2 million seats – an average of nearly 39,000 daily.

It was followed by Sapporo-Tokyo Haneda and Fukuoka-Tokyo Haneda.

The rankings were published by travel intelligence firm OAG in its annual analysis of the world’s busiest flight routes.

ligadwah@businessdayafrica.org