Just how short is the world’s shortest commercial flight? We’ve had a run-down of the world’s longest non-stop flights, now let’s look at the shortest international flights (by distance) you can buy a ticket for.
In this analysis we’ve excluded routes with less than a weekly frequency and some may operate on a semi-charter basis. We have included all fixed wing aircraft types, and interestingly the range of aircraft used on these very short sectors ranges from extremely small - you can take a six-seater Cessna from Kasana in Botswana to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe - up to a narrowbody B737-800 with 160 seats on the very shortest route between Brazzaville and Kinshasa.
All of the ten shortest flights in the world operate over a distance of less than 100km Great Circle Distance (GCD). As a reminder, GCD is a way of measuring a flight’s length, taking into account the fact that the Earth is spherical. You can learn more about Great Circle Routes in this article.
Let’s find out more about the shortest flights in the world.
The World's Shortest Commercial International Flights
1. The World's Shortest International Flight:Brazzaville (BZV), Congo to Kinshasa (FIH), DR of Congo (24km)
Distance (GCD): 24km
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800 Passenger
Weekly Frequency: 7
The shortest flight operates between Brazzaville, the capital of the Congo to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. With a scheduled time of 50 minutes, passengers on this flight of just 24km will in reality have just buckled themselves in before preparing for landing.
2. St Martin (SFG), St Martin (French part) to St Barthelemy (SBH), St Barthelemy (31km)
Distance (GCD): 31km
Aircraft: Boeing Cessna 208B Caravan
Weekly Frequency: 37
Around 495 times shorter than the world’s longest flight, this 31km trip between two Caribbean islands goes 5 times a day, on average. The two locations are popular with tourists who move between islands for a change of scenery.
3. Saba (SAB), Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba, to St Maarten (SXM), St Maarten (Dutch part) (45km)
Distance (GCD): 45km
Aircraft: DeHavilland-Bombardier DHC6 T/Otter
Weekly Frequency: 55
St Maarten/St Martin has two airports, one on the French side of the island - Grand Case-Espérance Airport (SFG) – and the airport featured in this third shortest international flight on the list - The Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) on the Dutch side of the island.
4. St Maarten (SXM), St Maarten (Dutch part) to St Eustatius (EUX), Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba (61km)
Distance (GCD): 61km
Aircraft: DeHavilland-Bombardier DHC6 T/Otter
Weekly Frequency: 56
Of the top 10 shortest commercial flights, this is the one with most frequency, at 56 flights per week. Six of the Top 10 routes, like this one, operate in the Caribbean on inter island routes; two in Africa; one in the Middle East and one between the USA and the Bahamas.
5. Bonaire (BON), Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba to Curacao (CUR), Curacao (74km)
Distance (GCD): 74km
Aircraft: Saab 340
Weekly Frequency: 17
This 25-minute flight between Bonaire and Curacao forms the B-C part of the ABC islands, where A stands for Aruba. The geographical order of the islands, from west to east, is A-C-B, with a distance of 125km between Aruba and Curacao, which makes that flight too long for inclusion on our list of the world’s shortest commercial flights.
6. Kasane (BBK), Botswana to Victoria Falls (VFA), Zimbabwe (77km)
Distance (GCD): 77km
Aircraft: Cessna Light Aircraft (Single Turboprop)
Weekly Frequency: 10
With 420 flights in the schedule and a route length of 77km each time, this flight will clock up 32,340 km of travel this summer season. The world’s longest flight – New York JFK to Singapore Changi – will cover more than that in just three flights. You wouldn’t want to take the Singapore to New York flight in the six-seater Cessna, though!
7. St Vincent (SVD), St Vincent and the Grenadines to Carriacou (CRU), Grenada, Windward Islands (79km)
Distance (GCD): 79km
Aircraft: DeHavilland-Bombardier DHC6 T/Otter
Weekly Frequency: 14
Of the Top 10 Shortest Flights, there are 3 routes which operate an average once-daily service, meaning day trips are possible between St Vincentand Carriacou (weekly frequency: 10), as well as from Brazzaville to Kinshasa (weekly frequency: 7) and Damman to Bahrain (weekly frequency: 10). All other flights in the Top 10 operate at least twice a day.
8. Dammam (DMM), Saudi Arabia to Bahrain (BAH), Bahrain (87km)
Distance (GCD): 87km
Aircraft: Airbus A320neo
Weekly Frequency: 10
This 40-minute flight is the only one on our list of the shortest international flights that operates in the Middle East, and the only one to use the Airbus A320 neo, which can seat from 120 passengers.
9. St Maarten (SXM), St Maarten (Dutch part) to St Kitts (SKB), Saint Kitts and Nevis, Leeward Islands (90km)
Distance (GCD): 90km
Aircraft: DeHavilland-Bombardier DHC6 T/Otter
Weekly Frequency: 16
The island of St Maarten/St Martin makes its fourth and final appearance on the list. Avid plane spotters and keen photographers will be familiar with Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM), as Maho Beach is just a road’s width away from the end of the runway, which means that as flights come in to land the aircraft can appear to be extremely close to beachgoers’ heads. (The plane pictured below is not the DeHavilland-Bombardier!).
10. Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood Intl Apt (FLL), USA to Bimini North SPB (NSB), Bahamas (95km)
Distance (GCD): 95km
Aircraft: Cessna Light Aircraft (Single Turboprop)
Weekly Frequency: 17
Bimini is the furthest-west island of the Bahamas and therefore the closest to mainland USA. The flight from Fort Lauderdale takes around 40 minutes, making it a popular trip for American visitors who travel to enjoy fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling and night life.
While these shorter flights might not be as attention-grabbing as the world’s longest flights, they play an important role, connecting up more remote areas of the world to help keep important tourism economies going.
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