You may have experienced your fair share of long-haul flights, but have you ever boarded a plane for a journey lasting mere minutes, or even seconds? Some of the world’s shortest flights are just that – extraordinarily brief.
These really short flights may seem strange, but they serve an important purpose in some parts of the world. They help people travel quickly between places that are hard to reach, like islands or remote areas. Flying is often faster and more convenient than using roads or boats.
Most of these flights go between islands, which can be tricky to get to otherwise. Some are also popular with tourists.
The flights on this list are mainly sorted by how long they take. If two flights take a similar amount of time, we look at how far they fly over the water. We only include flights by regular airlines, not private ones, because they can be as short as the customer wants, and it’s hard to keep track of those.
Now, let’s look at some examples.
Westray and Papa Westray
The quickest flight in the world is from Westray to Papa Westray. It only takes about 2 minutes. When the wind is good, people can make the trip in just 47 seconds! If you don’t take the flight, you’ll have to take a bumpy boat ride which takes about 20 minutes. The flight covers a short distance of 1.7 miles.
Karpathos and Kasos
You can quickly fly between the islands of Karpathos and Kasos in Greece. It only takes about 5 minutes with Olympic Air. But if you take a ferry, which is like a big boat, it will take more than an hour to go the short distance of 12 miles between the islands. The flight is really fast, only about 5 minutes!
St. Maarten and Anguilla Flights
St. Maarten is a place known for having a really famous airport called Princess Juliana International Airport. People like to go to the beach there to watch planes that fly very close above them. One cool thing about this airport is that it offers a quick flight to Anguilla, which is a nearby island. This flight only takes 10 minutes to cover a distance of 12 miles! That’s super fast!
Connemara and Inis Mor
You can take a quick flight from Connemara in Inverin to get to Inis Mór in just under 10 minutes. After that, you can catch another flight to go to the other two islands, Inis Oírr and Inis Meáin. The flights are really short!
St. Maarten and Saba
St. Maarten and Saba are two places in the Caribbean. Saba Island belongs to the Netherlands. You can travel from Saba to St. Maarten in just 15 minutes by either plane or boat. If you choose to fly, you’ll get to see the Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport in Saba. It’s famous for having the shortest commercial runway in the world. The flight takes only 15 minutes!
St. Maarten and St. Barts Flights
If you want to visit both St. Maarten and St. Barts islands in the Caribbean, you can either take a short plane ride or a longer ferry ride. The plane ride is really quick, only 15 minutes, while the ferry takes a bit longer. If you choose the plane, you’ll also get to experience exciting takeoffs and landings at two of the world’s most amazing airports.
Minami-Daito and Kita-Daito
Minami-Daito and Kita-Daito are two small islands in the very south of Japan, in a place called Okinawa. There are about 160 islands in Okinawa altogether! These two islands, Minami-Daito and Kita-Daito, are really close to each other, only about 8 miles apart. You can get from one to the other in a very short plane ride that takes less than 20 minutes! That’s not long at all!
Dare es Salaam and Zanzibar Flights
Dare es Salaam and Zanzibar are two places in Tanzania, a country in Africa. They are separated by the Indian Ocean. You can travel between them by taking a boat called a ferry, or you can choose to go on an airplane. If you fly, it only takes about 15 to 30 minutes to get from Dare es Salaam to the lovely Zanzibar island, depending on the flight you pick. So, it’s a very short flight!
Brazzaville and Kinshasa
Brazzaville and Kinshasa are two cities in Africa, not far from each other. They are only 16 miles apart. That’s like driving for about 30 minutes. They are divided by a big river called the Congo River. If you choose to travel by boat, it will be even faster than flying, taking less time.
Bonaire and Curacao
Bonaire and Curacao are islands in the Caribbean Sea. They’re known as the ABC islands and are not far from Venezuela. Bonaire is famous for diving, and Curacao has beautiful beaches. The islands are quite close, only about 40 miles apart. You can fly between them in just 25 minutes!
These flights may be short, but they’re really important for the people who live on these islands and for the tourists who want to visit them!
