- Travel data firm OAG compiled a list of the world’s shortest airline routes for 2019, highlighting a lack of connectivity in some regions of the world that rely, in part, on aviation.
- All of the routes are under 100 nautical miles with the shortest coming in at 13 nautical miles.
- Three of the top 10 shortest routes are found in the US with legacy carriers operating all three.
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Sometimes, driving isn’t an option.
As airlines seek to connect the world with more nonstop flights, the list of the world’s longest flights has changed numerous times in the past few years as new aircraft technology allows for flights as long as 19 hours. But while those flights seek to create convenience for travelers, particularly business travelers for whom time is money, the flights at the other end of the spectrum are often performed out of necessity.
Extremely short flights between cities, while they appear to be wasteful, are usually lifelines or vital links that connect two cities that are otherwise inaccessible or impractical to traverse another way.
Travel data firm OAG compiled the list of the world’s shortest flights in 2019, highlighting how aviation has the ability to connect more so than other means in some cases, as part of its Busiest Routes 2020 report.
While most are found in Africa and Asia, the US has three of the top 10.
Take a look at some of the world's shortest hops.
10. Between Helsinki and Tallinn, Estonia
Finnair operates the only flights between Tallinn and Helsinki, directly adjacent from each other on opposite shores of the Gulf of Finland. The body of water that separates the two cities acts as the border between Finland and Estonia and requires travelers to take a four-hour ferry or make the eight-hour car journey that requires passing through Russia while following the coastline of the Gulf of Finland.
Flights on the 55-nautical mile route are scheduled by Finnair at around 30 minutes. While Fins and Estonians are target demographics for the route, Finnair uses Helsinki as an intercontinental hub for passengers from Asia and North America to access Europe, and vice versa, so the route also appeals to connecting traffic as well.
9. Between Okinawa and Kume Jima, Japan
Japan Airlines connects Okinawa with Kumejima, part of the Okinawa Islands in Japan. The 50-nautical mile flight complements the ferry service that connects the remote city with the rest of the island chain, with Japan Airlines scheduling the flights for as short as 35 minutes.
8. Between Philadelphia and Allentown, Pennsylvania
American Airlines operates the third-shortest flight in the US with regional service between Philadelphia and Allentown, Pennsylvania. The route spans 48-nautical miles with flight times scheduled for a low as around 40 minutes, only around 30 minutes less than the drive time between the two cities.
The route largely caters to connecting traffic as those coming from or going to Allentown can connect in Philadelphia to American's global route network. As the airline increasingly adds European and Middle Eastern operations in Philadelphia as opposed to New York, the city is becoming American's East Coast gateway to those regions.
7. Between Bahrain and Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Gulf Air connects the island nation of Bahrain with Dammam, only 47 nautical miles away, with over 3,000 yearly flights, making it the busiest in the top 10 list of shortest flights. Flights are scheduled anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes, with the route catering mainly to connecting traffic.
The Gulf of Bahrain separates the two cities with only one road, the King Fahd Causeway, allowing for the 60-minute land journey between Manama, Bahrain, and Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
6. Between Bonaire and Curacao
Five airlines operate flights between Bonaire and Curacao, separated by a 40-nautical mile stretch of the Caribbean Sea. Most are operated by regional airlines but European leisure airline TUI Netherlands operates a tag flight between the two islands on its run between Amsterdam and the Netherland Antilles using a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Flights between the two Caribbean islands are scheduled as short as 30 minutes.
5. Between Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and Paducah, Kentucky
United Airlines operates the second-shortest route in the US as part of its regional service between Chicago and the Cape region of Missouri and Western Kentucky. Flights operated by regional brand SkyWest Airlines depart from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and head first to Cape Girardeau, Missouri before heading back to Chicago via Paducah, Kentucky.
Though tickets can't be bought for the 39-nautical mile leg individually, it prevents United from operating an unnecessary additional flight between Chicago and Paducah. The Southwest Missourian reported that the inaugural flight took only 16 minutes and eight seconds.
4. Between Dar Es Salaam and Zanzibar, Tanzania
The Tanzanian capital city and the popular tourist destination of Zanzibar are separated by the Indian Ocean, leaving aviation to provide an air bridge between the two. Countless daily flights depart on the 38-nautical mile route between the two cities from regional airlines as well as foreign airlines operating tag service between Dar Es Salaam and Zanzibar.
Some flights on the route are as short as 20 minutes with no shortage of departure times available for passengers.
3. Between Boa Vista and Sal, Cape Verde
Transport Interilhas de Cabo Verde connects the two island cities on a 36-nautical mile route with over 1,000 flights flown in 2019. As an archipelago, Cape Verde consists of numerous islands with aviation acting as one of the primary and fastest connectors for locals and visitors alike.
2. Between Petersburg, Alaska and Wrangell, Alaska
Alaska Airlines operates the shortest route in the US with a 26-nautical mile hop between Petersburg and Wrangell in Alaska. Located in an archipelagic region of southern Alaska, the two cities are separated by water with Alaska Airlines connecting them as part of one of its "Milk Run" flight that runs between Seattle and Juneau with stops in Ketchikan, Petersburg, and Wrangell.
Flights are operated by a Boeing 737 aircraft with flight times scheduled at around 20 minutes. The route ascended to the number two spot when a 23-nautical mile route between two airports in Windhoek, Namibia which ended in June 2019.
1. Between Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo and Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
ASKY Airlines connects the two capital cities separated by the Congo River with a Boeing 737 aircraft. With just 13 nautical miles separating the two cities, the route is the shortest in the world operated daily with jet service.
The only way to get between the two cities located on opposite banks is by boat or air as no bridges span the Congo River in the dual capital region. Even though the cities are less than a mile apart, they suffer from a lack of interconnectivity with no land connections.
The true shortest commercial route in the world, however, is between Westray and Papa Westray in Scotland.
Operated by regional carrier Loganair, the flight connects two airports located less than 2 miles from each other, separated by a narrow stretch of water in the Scottish islands north of the mainland. Flights operated by the de facto Scottish flag carrier can be performed in less than a minute.
OAG didn't include the route in its standings as it's operated by a piston-powered Britten-Norman Islander aircraft.