An Animated Look at How All the World’s Airports Are Connected

Air travel has allowed us to get farther, faster than ever before. But for the most part, if you’re traveling between hemispheres, you’re going to need a connection—there are very few 17-hour intercontinental flights.

Data visualization designer and programmer Martin Grandjean, who’s based in Switzerland, created this image of how the world’s airports are all connected, and the density of plane routes across continents. It’s based on 60,000 routes to and from 3200 airports.

Here's a static version:

Grandjean’s design allows you to see which areas of the world have become major portals. India is very connected to the Middle East—more so than to East or South Asia, though it borders those regions. To get to and from Africa, you most likely have to go through Europe, though there are connections to the Middle East as well. And while most of the west half of South America is connected to the U.S., Rio de Janeiro is a hub for travel to and from Europe.

This could be a whole new way to think about your summer travel plans.

[h/t Flowing Data]

All images by Martin Grandjean // CC BY-SA