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In our roundup of journey information this week: the secret tunnel metropolis beneath Rome, China’s “8D city” the place trains go by way of partitions, plus a brand new report reveals the world’s busiest flight routes, greatest aviation markets and hottest planes.
Isn’t knowledge simply scrumptious?
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched its 2024 World Air Transport Statistics report, and it’s crammed with fascinating nuggets.
Here are a couple of to wow your avgeek associates.
The United States is the world’s greatest aviation market, with 876 million passengers per 12 months in 2024, largely flying home. That’s 4 instances greater than India, which is the world’s most populous nation and the fifth greatest aviation market.
China is scorching on the States’ heels at No. 2, nonetheless, with 741 million passengers in 2024 and a whopping 18.7% progress year-on-year, in comparison with America’s modest 5.2%.
The United Kingdom is however a 94,000-square-mile island nation, however it’s the world’s No.3 aviation market, with 261 million passengers scooting above land and sea in 2024.
Quite a lot of these Brits could have been heading to trip scorching spot Spain, which is the No. 4 aviation market, with 241 million passengers final 12 months.
Busiest flight routes and hottest planes
Let’s proceed with extra tidbits from the IATA report.
Nine out of 10 of the world’s busiest flight routes are in the Asia-Pacific area. However, the world’s No.1 is a South Korean home flight: the 1 hour and 15 minute journey between the island resort metropolis of Jeju (CJU) and the capital, Seoul (GMP). More than 13 million passengers flew the route in 2024.
The busiest route in North America is an airport pairing as basic as ketchup and scorching canine. It’s JFK to LAX (or New York to Los Angeles, as for those who didn’t know), and a pair of.2 million passengers made the voyage final 12 months.
The hottest European route is the hour-long flight between Spanish trip scorching spots Barcelona (BCN) and Palma de Mallorca (PMI), with 2 million passengers in 2024. Want a much less busy flight? Take a take a look at our information to the components of Spain that aren’t sick of tourists.
The busiest route in Latin America (with 3.8 million passengers) is the one-hour flight between Bogotá (BOG), the Colombian capital, and Medellín (MDE), Colombia’s second-largest metropolis.
Africa’s hottest route, with 3.3 million passengers, is the two-hour home South African flight between Cape Town (CPT) and Johannesburg (JNB).
Finally, whereas the Boeing 737 Max has had a calamitous historical past, the Boeing 737 (together with all variants), stays the world’s most-used plane, making 10 million flights in 2024.
The No. 2 and No. 3 planes are additionally narrowbody plane, made by Boeing’s European rival Airbus. The A320 flew 7.9 million flights and the A321 flew 3.4 million.
Enough about the journeys, let’s discuss locations. Here are three to think about in your subsequent massive journey.
Halfeti, in southeastern Turkey, was one among a number of cities and cities to be deliberately flooded when the Birecik Dam was constructed in 2000. But residents nonetheless dwell in the half-submerged city — whereas darkish roses develop in the mineral-rich lands.
Angola, in southern Africa, is twice the measurement of Texas and boasts spectacular pure wonders that few vacationers have seen. After a long time largely minimize off from the world, the country is opening up, infrastructure is bettering, and discovery awaits.
Chongqing, in a mountainous space of southwestern China, is attracting youthful vacationers due to its mindbending, Instagram-friendly terrain that’s so multilayered some are calling it the country’s “8D city.” To see what we imply, check out this train passing proper by way of a residential constructing.
See the historical tunnels that go 75 ft beneath the metropolis of Rome
A community of historical caves and tunnels lies some 75 ft beneath the metropolis of Rome, hidden from the world for greater than a century. Now this subterranean labyrinth is being uncovered as soon as extra. Here’s what 21st-century visitors can see.
One of a cave explorer’s most important objects is, in fact, a headlamp. Our companions at NCS Underscored a product opinions and suggestions information owned by NCS, have this information to the best headlamps for 2025.
France is being pressured to confront its poisonous kitchen tradition.
Whistleblowers are calling for change.
Italy has given the go-ahead for a landmark Sicily bridge undertaking.
It might be the world’s longest single-span bridge.
A flying phobia impacts greater than 25 million Americans.
Here’s easy methods to manage it.
It’s not too late for a summer time getaway.
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