This was published 1 year ago
World's busiest flight routes: Sydney-Melbourne surges back into top five despite reduced capacity
Sydney Airport. Despite air traffic between Sydney and Melbourne still being below pre-COVID levels, the route has surged back into the world's top five busiest.Credit: Getty Images
A year of air travel chaos and reduced carrier capacity didn't stop flights between Sydney and Melbourne surging back into the world's top five busiest routes for 2022.
Data from flight analytics provider OAG, which ranks the world's busiest routes by the number of seats, saw Sydney-Melbourne services climb to fifth, with an annual seat total of 8,204,871.
The route was previously ranked sixth last October, but a spike in summer holiday travel has pushed it up the list, overtaking Saudi Arabia's Jeddah to Riyadh service (7,495,790 seats).
South Korea's domestic route between Seoul and holiday hotspot Jeju island held onto its title of the world's busiest, while Japan dominated the global list with three of the top 10: Tokyo-Sapporo (number two), Tokyo-Fukuoka (number four), and Okinawa-Tokyo (number seven).
Vietnam's Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City route also climbed the list to be ranked third in the world.
Airfares in Australia remain much higher than pre-COVID. The average one-way economy fare between Sydney and Melbourne has surged to $190 – that's 27 per cent above 2019 prices, based on data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Airfares on the Melbourne-Sydney route are similar to those on the other busiest routes. At $31 per 100 kilometres, Melbourne-Sydney is the fourth most expensive. Japan, which only reopened to independent international tourism in October 2022, has the top three most expensive routes, leading with Tokyo-Osaka ($47/100km), followed by Tokyo-Fukuoka ($33/100km) and Tokyo-Sapporo ($33/100km).
Indonesia and Vietnam have the cheapest; both Denpasar (Bali) to Jakarta and Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City flights start from $13 per 100km.
Demand for air travel has surged in Australia despite the rising cost of living. However, airlines continue to hold back adding capacity to the market to manage operational challenges, according to a December report from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
A combination of strong demand, reduced capacity and high prices for jet fuel has pushed airfares higher than they've been in years.
Domestic passenger numbers are still down 25 per cent compared to pre-pandemic, per the most recent Cirium October 2022 data.
Cirium's Mike Arnot said: "Compared to 2019, there are fewer domestic flights and seats — down about 3 per cent. So you've got a scenario with strong demand and slightly constrained supply."
The result comes as Sydney Airport chief executive Geoff Culbert warns airlines to increase capacity quickly or risk hurting tourism's recovery.
"Our domestic terminals were bustling over the Christmas period as Australians travelled to see friends and family and explore this great country. The recovery is by no means over though, with 411,000 fewer domestic passengers in December 2022 than in December 2019," said Culbert.
"Australia needs to unlock more capacity, and quickly, if we want to see a sustained recovery for our tourism, education, and export industries."
The global rankings follow a renewed push for a high-speed rail network between the two capital cities.
Last year, the federal government passed legislation for a High-Speed Rail Authority to help turn the concept of a bullet train between Sydney and Melbourne into a reality.
The authority is using a $500 million down payment for the planning to secure corridors and commence work, starting with Sydney to Newcastle.
Plans are also being developed for other sections that will eventually connect Brisbane to Melbourne, with stops in Canberra, Sydney and regional centres.
Sir David Higgins, Sydney Airport board member and former chair of the UK's high-speed rail authority, has opposed the concept for a Eurostar-style Sydney-Melbourne rail service.
He claims it doesn't make commercial sense if it's more than two hours. He recommends Australia is better off investing in maximising train speeds within dense population zones such as Penrith to Sydney CBD, or Brisbane to the Gold Coast.
Last month, the European Commission approved France's plan to ban short-haul flights where there is a suitable rail alternative, following a push by French lawmakers to reduce the country's carbon emissions. The change affects three routes: journeys between Paris-Orly, Bordeaux, Nantes and Lyon.
The world's busiest flight routes in 2022 (by number of seats)
- JejuInternational-Seoul Gimpo 15,675,404
- Tokyo-Sapporo 10,639,903
- Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City 10,605,579
- Tokyo-Fukuoka 10,426,245
- Melbourne-Sydney 8,204,871
- Riyadh-Jeddah 7,495,790
- Okinawa-Tokyo 7,343,199
- Denpasar-Bali-Jakarta 7,100,224
- Mumbai-Delhi 7,000,015
- Tokyo-Osaka 6,231,151
HOW THE WORLD'S BUSIEST FLIGHT ROUTES STACK UP ON PRICE
- Jeju-Seoul, South Korea: $27/100km (distance: 453km)
- Tokyo-Sapporo, Japan: $33/100km (distance: 846km)
- Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City: $13/100km (distance: 1,160km)
- Tokyo-Fukuoka, Japan: $33/100km (distance: 881km)
- Melbourne-Sydney, Australia: $31/100km (distance: 705km)
- Riyadh-Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: $20/100km (distance: 841km)
- Okinawa-Tokyo, Japan: $15/100km (distance: 2,154km)
- Denpasar-Jakarta, Indonesia: $13/100km (distance: 1,016km)
- Mumbai-Delhi, India: $15/100km (distance: 1,151km)
- Tokyo-Osaka, Japan: $47/100km (distance: 396km)
*Based on OAG 2022 flight route data, Google Flights round-trip weekend fares (February 3-5, 2023).
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