Today’s post was brought to you (and written by) TravelSupermarket.com.
Though many of us assume taking a flight means at least a couple of hours in the air, this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, a flight can take mere minutes to complete, meaning the check-in and security process may be longer than the flight you’re taking. Here, we take a look at some of the shortest flight journeys from around the world.
-
Westray, Scotland to Papa Westray, Scotland
We start our journey in Westray, part of the Orkney Islands in Scotland. Thought to be the shortest flight in the world, the brief journey to Papa Westray, a neighbouring island in the Orkneys is just 2 minutes – travelling just under 2 miles. This super short journey will hardly let you get comfortable in your seat before you are disembarking at your destination.
The flight itself is served by local airline, Loganair, who also provide carrier services between the islands for Royal Mail and the Scottish Air Ambulance.
The service proved popular with visitors and locals alike and Loganair now travels six times a week between the two islands. The most amusing fact of this short flight is that you still have to check in at least 20 minutes before your departure, making your wait around 10 times longer than your journey.
-
Taitung, Taiwan to Green Island, Taiwan
The next ridiculously short flight begins in Taitung in Taiwan and travels to Green Island. The distance between the two points is a mere 25 miles and the total flight time is around 15 minutes.
The flight is served by Taipei based airline Daily Air. The airline focuses mainly on providing links between the islands around Taiwan and flies 3 times a day from Taitung. Green Island is a small volcanic island off the Eastern coast of Taiwan, a popular scuba diving destination. It is served by Lyudao Airport, a small airport with just one runway.
-
Zanzibar, Tanzania to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
Our short flights continue in Tanzania, with the journey between Zanzibar and Dar Es Salaam. This route takes little more than 20 minutes and covers around 45 miles in distance. Starting at Zanzibar International Airport on the island of Unguja, you can take the ultra short flight using Zan Air, who fly to Dar Es Salaam three times a day, every day.
Zanzibar International Airport has one runway and mainly serves the local area, although you can also fly to destinations in East Africa and Italy, amongst others. Zan Air is a relatively young airline, beginning in 1992. The airline has a small fleet of around seven aircraft and serves many of the local destinations in Tanzania, including many remote locations.
-
Al Muharraq, Bahrain to Dammam, Saudi Arabia
The fourth journey on our list takes us to the Persian Gulf, to the small island state of Bahrain. The journey itself leaves Bahrain and heads to Dammam in Saudi Arabia and although this short 40 mile journey only takes around 35 minutes, it involves crossing the border into Saudi Arabia. This flight is therefore possibly the shortest international flight in the world.
The airline that serves the journey is Gulf Air, who are based at Bahrain Airport and they provide services every day except Thursdays. On Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays, Gulf Air have three flights a day, with two flights on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
You can choose to complete the route by bus, but the journey takes around two hours on the road so the 35 minute flight is generally more popular. Even travelling by car can be tricky, as
car hire providers ask you not to go over the border in their vehicles unless organised in advance. In fact, travelling in a car that isn’t your own is discouraged due to strict border controls and red tape.
In Dammam, you will land at the King Fahd International Airport, which due to its vast land area, is one of the largest in the world.
-
Mumbai, India to Pune, India
Finally, our fifth shortest flight takes us to India. The 35 minute journey starting in Mumbai and travelling to Pune covers just under a 100 miles in distance. The flights are served by Jet Airways, who are one of the few international airlines to provide such a short domestic flight. The popularity of the short flight has seen Jet Airways provide a daily service.
Despite the recent recession, where many services were discontinued and airline staff numbers reduced, this particular flight still remained popular and continues to secure full bookings. The journey is possible by road but can take up to four hours to complete.
Pune Airport is actually an Air Force Base and the two companies’ work together sharing two runways. There are plenty of domestic flights from Pune airport, as well as international flights to Frankfurt and Dubai.
These are just a few of many more amusingly short flights around the world, where getting through check in and security could take longer than your actual flight time. Great if you’re not keen on flying, as by the time you realise you have taken off, you are probably coming in to land!
