What is the shortest commercial flight in the world?
PlanetaCurioso.com – A few days ago the news of the longest commercial flight in the world resounded: 16,700 kilometers, a non-stop flight between New York and Singapore, which lasts more than 18 hours. Now, what is the shortest commercial flight in the world? Let’s see.
When we talk about a short flight, how long do you imagine? 15 minutes, 10, 5? Well, actually we are talking about seconds, do you find it incredible and unusual?
The shortest commercial flight in the world
Most of these short flights serve to link nearby islands that belong to the same archipelago.
That happens with Westray and Papa Westray, Scotland, with a distance between them of 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometers) Since 1967 the airline Loganair flies that route, charging a fee per passenger of about $10 dollars.
The estimated time is 2 minutes, but the record is 53 seconds , can you believe it?
Another 70 second flight
Another express flight is the one that connects the aerodromes of Kegata and Apowo, in the Indonesian province of West Papua, at more than 4,500 meters of altitude, separated by less than 2 kilometers.
To get there on foot, people would have to cross a rugged valley, so it is better to take a flight. Sure, as soon as the plane takes off, the pilot is already preparing for the landing. Curious, right?
Another short flight into a small island
On the island of Molokai, Hawaii, there is a curious flight within the same island. Two towns that are separated by 4 kilometers are linked by a 15-minute flight at a cost of 60 dollars.
Isn’t it possible to walk from one town to another? Well, from Ho’olehua to Kalaupapa, rises one of the highest coastal cliffs in the world , up to 1,010 meters above the level of the Pacific Ocean. Incredible!
The shortest international flight
For many years, the shortest international commercial flight was between Switzerland and Germany.
Until 2017, the Niki airline flew from St. Gallen, Switzerland, to Friedrichshafen, Germany, with a duration of eight minutes.
But there is currently a flight that runs 19 kilometers from the Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin to the British island of Anguilla. The route is completed in less than ten minutes .
What do you think of these fun facts about flights? Incredible true?
This article was originally published on planetacurioso.com on November 16, 2018. Updated: November 16, 2020.
