Shortest Commercial Flights in the World

Shortest Commercial Flights in the World:

Number 5: Cayman Brac to Little Cayman – 10 minutes

If you need to get from Cayman Brac to Little Cayman, the best and fastest way to go is clearly the Cayman Airways express flights that link the two sister islands. The flight takes less than 10 minutes on a Twin Otter turboprop aircraft and cost only 50 dollars 25 cents US dollars roundtrip. The flight is so short that the plane doesn’t usually climb above a thousand feet in the air and with a 10-minute flight you barely have time to yawn and you’ve already landed. Of course if you’re really not in a rush and you might want to try to save the 50 bucks why not just swim over to the next island.

Number 4: St. Gallen to Friedrichshafen – 8 minutes

Can you imagine flying to another country in just eight minutes. Well that’s what an Austrian airline claims it can do by flying you from St. Gallen in Switzerland to Friedrichshafen in Germany. That would be the shortest international flight. This quick trip being sold by Peoples Vienna Line is only 13 miles long and is available twice daily since November 2nd 2016. It costs a mere 40 euros which is less than 45 US dollars. If you want to drive between the two countries, which are separated by Lake Constance, you’ll need to travel about 47 miles which takes about an hour. You could also take a ferry but it will set you back an hour and 20 minutes. For the new air route you’ll board the 50 seat Embraer 145 aircraft. The flight runs 10 times a week.

Number 3: Connemara to Inishmaan – 6 minutes

Unless you’re a really great swimmer you’ll need to take a boat or plane to get from Connemara to Inishmaan in Ireland. That’s where Aer Arann comes in. What’s crazy is even though the flight takes only six minutes and is less than 10 miles long, it’s still not the shortest flight in the world.

Number 2: Minami-Daito to Kitadaito – 5 minutes

If you want to fly from Minami-daito in Okinawa Japan to Kitadaito which is in the northernmost island in the Daito Islands group located in the Philippine Sea, you can count on Ryukyu Air Commuter to be your transporter. The flight is less than seven minutes and sometimes takes even less than five minutes. As a matter of fact it’s considered the shortest commercial flight in the world. Sometimes it even takes only three minutes. You’ll fly on a DHC 8-100 aircraft which can only accommodate 39 passengers. The flight is so short that it takes a bit more than a minute between the closing and the opening of the landing gear.

Number 1: Westray to Papa Westray – 47 seconds

The two small Orkney islands north of Scotland are separated by shallow water. But you still might need a plane to get from one to the other. That’s why the people who do need to get across book a flight on a LoganAir Britten-Norman Islander. But since the distance is only 1.7 miles you won’t have much time to rest your eyes or anything else. From the Westray airport to the Papa Westray Airport the complete flight takes generally about two minutes and when the wind conditions are perfect the flight has sometimes been timed at only 47 seconds. Can you imagine? The ticket cost is $30 so why would you take a 20 minute ferry?