Top 10 Shortest Widebody Flights in the World

While widebody aircraft are typically deployed on medium to long-haul and high-capacity routes, they also serve on surprisingly short routes where demand, overall routing, and logistical needs justify their use. 

Air France operates the world’s shortest widebody flight from Brazzaville to Kinshasa in Congo. Operated by a Boeing 777/Airbus A350, this 16-mile flight is also the shortest international flight.

This article covers the world’s top 10 shortest widebody flights in 2024.

Some of these shortest widebody flights including the British Airways flight between Antigua (ANU) and St. Kitts (SKB), and the Virgin Atlantic flight between Bridgetown (BGI) and St. Vincent (SVD) are fifth freedom flights, which can also be booked separately. However, some of them are direct flights, and the remaining are part of a triangular routing flight.

For instance, the Air France flight departs from Paris (CDG), stops in Brazzaville (BZV), continues to Kinshasa (FIH), and then returns to Paris (CDG). Such triangular routing flights can be advantageous as they allow airlines to serve multiple destinations efficiently on a single route, often maximizing passenger load and operational efficiency.

*Note that all routes are ranked by “great circle” distance and the flight times fluctuate throughout the year.

1. Brazzaville (BZV) – Kinshasa (FIH), Congo

Airlines: Air France

Flight Distance: 16 Miles

Average Flight Time: 12 to 15 Minutes

Aircraft: Boeing 777-200/ER, Airbus A350-900

Route: Paris (CDG) – Brazzaville (BZV) – Kinshasa (FIH) – Paris (CDG)

2. Zanzibar (ZNZ) – Dar es Salaam (DAR), Tanzania 

Airlines: Air Tanzania, Air France, KLM 

Flight Distance: 45 Miles 

Average Flight Time: 15 Minutes 

Aircraft: Boeing 777-200/ER, B787-8, B787-9

Route (Air France, KLM): Paris (CDG)/Amsterdam (AMS) – Zanzibar (ZNZ) – Dar es Salaam (DAR) – Paris (CDG)/Amsterdam (AMS) 

3. Antigua (ANU) – St. Kitts (SKB), Antigua and Barbuda 

Airlines: British Airways

Flight Distance: 62 Miles 

Average Flight Time: 25 Minutes 

Aircraft: Boeing 777-200/ER

Route: London (LGW) – Antigua (ANU) – St. Kitts (SKB) – Antigua (ANU) – London (LGW)

4. Douala (DLA), Cameroon – Malabo (SSG), Equatorial Guinea 

Airlines: Ethiopian Airlines

Flight Distance: 72 Miles 

Average Flight Time: 20 Minutes 

Aircraft: Airbus A350-900, Boeing 787-8, B787-9 

Route: Addis Ababa (ADD) – Douala (DLA) – Malabo (SSG) – Addis Ababa (ADD),

5. Guangzhou (CAN) – Hong Kong (HKG), China 

Airlines: Cathay Pacific 

Flight Distance: 84 Miles 

Average Flight Time: 40 Minutes 

Aircraft: Airbus A330-300

6. Ningbo (NGB) – Shanghai (PVG), China 

Airlines: Shanghai Airlines 

Flight Distance: 93 Miles 

Average Flight Time: 40 Minutes 

Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 

7. Bridgetown (BGI) – St. Vincent (SVD), Barbados 

Airlines: Virgin Atlantic 

Flight Distance: 112 Miles 

Average Flight Time: 30 Minutes 

Aircraft: Airbus A330-300 

Route: London (LHR) – Bridgetown (BGI) – St. Vincent (SVD) – Bridgetown (BGI) – London (LHR),

8. Dhaka (DAC) – Sylhet (ZYL), Bangladesh 

Airlines: Biman Bangladesh Airlines 

Flight Distance: 121 Miles 

Average Flight Time: 25 Minutes 

Aircraft: Boeing 777-300/ER, Boeing 787-8, B787-9 

Route:  Dhaka (DAC) – Sylhet (ZYL) – London (LHR)/ Manchester (MAN) – Sylhet (ZYL) – Dhaka (DAC),

9. Guatemala City (GUA), Guatemala – San Salvador (SAL), El Salvador 

Airlines: Iberia

Flight Distance: 126 Miles 

Average Flight Time: 35 Minutes 

Aircraft: Airbus A330-200 

Route: Madrid (MAD) – Guatemala City (GUA) – San Salvador (SAL) – Madrid (MAD)

10. Milan-Malpensa (MXP), Italy – Zurich (ZRH), Switzerland 

Airlines: Ethiopian Airlines

Flight Distance: 127 Miles 

Average Flight Time: 35 Minutes 

Aircraft: Airbus A350-900 

Route: Addis Ababa (ADD) – Milan-Malpensa (MXP) – Zurich (ZRH) – Milan-Malpensa (MXP) – Addis Ababa (ADD)

The majority of these shortest widebody flights can be booked directly from the airline’s website. However, some of them aren’t bookable, as these are just a part of a triangular routing flight.