Heathrow has maintained its position as the world’s most connected airport, with the US and Asia Pacific coming up fast, according to air travel data company OAG’s annual Megahubs International Index for 2018.
The study measures the ratio of scheduled international connections to the number of destinations served by the airport in a six-hour window. Heathrow was top with 66,000, with Chicago O’Hare moving up to second place, and Frankfurt in third.
The other airports in the top 10 for connectivity were Amsterdam, Toronto, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Singapore, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Jakarta, with the US improving its rankings with three airports in the top 10 and 13 in the top 50.
The fast-growing Asia-Pacific region had six airports in the top 20 with Singapore Changi in eighth overall, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta in 10th, Kuala Lumpur 12th, Hong Kong 13th, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi 14th and Seoul Incheon 15th.
China’s top airport for connectivity was Shanghai Pudong which came in at 24th, while Guangzhou Baiyun reached 31st place and Beijing Capital 32nd.
“Robust demand for international air travel is making Asia-Pacific a pivotal region for connecting flights,” OAG regional sales director for JAPAC Mayur Patel said.
“With China driving air travel growth, we expect hub connectivity to Hong Kong… will undoubtedly see further evolution.”
www.oag.com/megahubs-international-index-2018
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