A new study published by Routes shows that the one-hour flight between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro is the busiest air route in South America.
More than four million people travelled the 378 kilometre distance between São Paulo Congonhas and Rio de Janeiro’s Santos Dumont Airport between November 1st, 2016 and October 31st, 2017, putting it at the top of the study’s rankings.
The route has an average of 110 flights per day – or one every 13 minutes – costing on average $93.47 a ticket.
The second busiest route links Lima, the capital of Peru, with Cuzco, a city in the Peruvian Andes.
A total of 2.47 million people travelled the 583 kilometres between the two airports, with the average price of a ticket just $54.
The Colombian domestic route of Bogota to José María Córdova, which has an average of 80 flights per day, completes the top three.
It is also the cheapest in the top ten at $51.02 per ticket.
The research has been released two months ahead of Routes Americas, an aviation forum that will take place in Quito, Ecuador, from February 13th-15th.
The event has attracted South and North America’s largest airlines including Avianca, American Airlines, LATAM Airlines Group, Delta Air Lines and Copa Airlines.
Steven Small, brand director of Routes, said: “Routes Americas will bring together senior decision makers from the region’s airlines, airports and destinations to plan new services.
“They will also discuss increasing the frequency and capacity of the existing routes that are popular with passengers.
“The negotiations in Quito could lead the way to the busiest South American routes of the future.”