Top Ten Revenue Earning Flight Routes in the World

Jul 9, 2018 12:31:00 PM

The airline industry will often measure its top performing routes in distance traveled, flight length, and capacity. On July 3, the OAG released a report that gives the world a rare glimpse into the world's top ten flight routes in terms of the amount of revenue they generate. Listed below, you'll find the top contending airlines, the city pair, revenue earned, scheduled hours flown, and dollar per hour earnings.

1. British Airways: New York City, New York (JFK) – London, United Kingdom (LHR)

$1,037,724,867 USD | 42,117 scheduled hours | $24,639 USD/hour

2. Qantas Airways: Melbourne, Australia (MEL) – Sydney, Australia (SYD)

$854,692,402 USD | 35,264 scheduled hours | $24, 237 USD/hour

3. Emirates: London, United Kingdom (LHR) – Dubai, United Arab Emirates (DXB)

$819, 409,702 USD | 32,378 scheduled hours | $25,308 USD/hour

4. Singapore Airlines: London, United Kingdom (LHR) – Singapore (SIN)

$709,730,107 USD | 38,883 scheduled hours | $18,253 USD/hour

5. American Airlines: Los Angeles, California (LAX) – New York City, New York (JFK)

$698,074,171 USD | 50, 584 scheduled hours | $13,801 USD/hour

6. United Airlines: San Fransisco, California (SFO) – Newark, New Jersey (EWR)

$684,674,312 USD | 56,693 scheduled hours | $12,130 USD/hour

7. Cathay Pacific Airways: Hong Kong, China (HKG) – London, United Kingdom (LHR)

$631,855,868 USD | 44,206 scheduled hours | $14,264 USD/hour

8. Qatar Airways: London, United Kingdom (LHR) – Doha, Qatar (DOH)

$552,658,316 USD | 31,264 scheduled hours | $17,677 USD/hour

9. Air Canada: Vancouver, British Columbia (YVR) – Toronto, Ontario (YYZ)

$552,264,972 USD | 48,253 scheduled hours | $11,445 USD/hour

10. Singapore Airlines: Sydney, Australia (SYD) – Singapore (SIN)

$543,723,893 USD | 27,847 scheduled hours | $19,525 USD/hour

The only route that breaks the $1 billion USD revenue threshold is British Airways' London to New York service; however, it still isn't the highest dollar per hour earner. Emirates' London to Dubai beats it (by under $1,000) in that category, generating over $25,000 USD per hour. In terms of most scheduled hours flown, United Airlines' San Fransisco to Newark flight spends the most time among the clouds, logging nearly 57,000 hours. Interestingly enough, five of the top ten flights depart from or arrive to London's Heathrow airport.