The nine busiest international routes in Europe
Europe has one of the busiest flight markets in the world – but which routes have the largest number of scheduled seats? Here you can learn more about the nine busiest international routes in the continent.
In a compilation made by OAG, the busiest international routes in Europe have been listed – take a look at all the popular routes below. The definition of the busiest routes are those with the largest number of scheduled seats.*
1. Dublin (DUB) - London Heathrow (LHR)
On the top of the list of the busiest international routes in Europe you find the popular route between the capitals of Ireland and the UK – Dublin and London. Two major airlines, British Airways and Aer Lingus, offer regular flights between the two cities. A direct flight between Dublin and London Heathrow takes about one hour and twenty minutes.
2. Stockholm (ARN) - Oslo (OSL)
A number of the busiest routes in Europe are found in the Nordic countries, where you can find frequent flights between the capitals. The busiest route of the bunch is between the Swedish capital Stockholm and the Norwegian capital Oslo. The flight from Stockholm to Oslo takes about one hour, and the majority of the flights are operated by Scandinavian Airlines or Norwegian Air.
3. Copenhagen (CPH) - Oslo (OSL)
Another busy route found in Scandinavia is the one between Copenhagen and Oslo. The two airports are located pretty close to each other, and the direct flight time is just over an hour. Airlines operating the route are Scandinavian Airlines and Norwegian Air, among others.
4. Stockholm (ARN) - Copenhagen (CPH)
Number four on the list, and the third Scandinavian route, is the busy flight route between Stockholm and Copenhagen. If you want to travel between these two Nordic capitals, you will most likely end up on a plane operated by Scandinavian Airlines. The flight time on a non-stop flight is about one hour and ten minutes.
5. Frankfurt (FRA) - London Heathrow (LHR)
Two of the busiest airports in Europe are the German airport Frankfurt and Heathrow in London. With this said, it might not come as a shock that the route between the two is one of the busiest in Europe. When traveling between Frankfurt and London you can choose between major airlines such as Lufthansa and British Airways.
6. Amsterdam (AMS) - London Heathrow (LHR)
Are you headed from Amsterdam to London? So are many other people! This one hour and 20 minute long route is one of the busiest in Europe. If you want to travel from Amsterdam to London, you can find flights with for example British Airways and KLM.
7. New York (JFK) - London Heathrow (LHR)
Number seven on our list is the route between JFK airport in New York and Heathrow, London. This popular route has a direct flight time of around seven hours and is operated by a number of airlines, such as Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and British Airways.
8. Barcelona (BCN) - London Gatwick (LGW)
In London you find several large airports, and besides Heathrow a lot of flights also head for Gatwick. One of the busiest routes in Europe is the one connecting London Gatwick with Spanish major destination Barcelona. The flight between Barcelona and London takes about 2,5 hours.
9. Stockholm (ARN) - Helsinki (HEL)
To find the next popular route on our list we head back to the Nordics. This time the connection is between Stockholm, Sweden and Helsinki, Finland. A flight from Stockholm to Helsinki takes just about an hour, and the majority of the flights are operated by Finnair or Scandinavian Airlines.
*The report was established in 2020 and is based on data from 2019.
