Air travel has become an everyday part of life for many. While some flights are long hauls, some routes are so short that you barely finish your coffee before descending for landing. These brief hops connect nearby cities or remote regions, offering quick and convenient travel where rail or road might take much longer. Below is a guide to 15 of the shortest scheduled flights based on typical distances and flight times in current timetables.
1. Diu – Keshod
This connection between two smaller airports in western regions is reported as one of the shortest scheduled flights, covering roughly 95 kilometres with a flight time around half an hour.
2. Silchar – Imphal
The flight route is among the shortest hops, and it typically spans about 95 kilometres. It links two northeast centres on a quick regional flight.
3. Jammu – Srinagar
This is a widely known short-sector flight. The ride between these two scenic cities is under 150 kilometres with flights often around 30 minutes long.
4. Guwahati – Shillong
Often cited as one of the country’s briefest commercial journeys, this route covers around 60–70 kilometres with a flight time of about 20 minutes.
5. Mumbai – Pune
Connecting two major urban centres in Maharashtra, this flight covers a distance around 118 kilometres and usually takes about 25–30 minutes.
6. Kochi – Kozhikode
Among short hops operated by turboprop aircraft, this sector covers about 119 kilometres and takes approximately 45 minutes.
7. Delhi – Dehradun
This short flight connects a capital city to a hill station, covering approximately 214 kilometers with block times close to one hour.
8. Silchar – Guwahati
Another brief northeastern connection, this flight covers about 180–190 kilometres with journey times around 45–50 minutes.
9. Pasighat – Itanagar
The flight operates in the eastern Himalayan region. The route is typically around 200 kilometres, which takes roughly an hour.
10. Dibrugarh – Itanagar
It is a short flight of about 135 kilometres with a travel time of less than an hour. It crosses river valleys and provides important regional links.
11. Imphal – Silchar
Mirroring the short Imphal–Silchar distance, this hop also serves travellers along a sub-100‑kilometre route.
12. Amritsar – Jammu
Frequent flights cover a relatively short sector between these northern cities, often in less than an hour.
13. Shillong – Silchar
A brief northeast link, this turboprop route typically runs about 130–140 kilometres and takes around 45 minutes.
14. Gangtok – Bagdogra (By Helicopter and Connecting Services)
While not a typical fixed‑wing flight, shuttle helicopter services connect these points on a short aerial segment; fixed‑wing connections often complete the link with short hops from Bagdogra.
15. Lucknow – Shravasti
Among short occupational routes in the north, this connection often spans around 140–150 kilometres with flight times near an hour.
Why These Short Routes Matter
Short flights play a valuable role in boosting connectivity across the country’s varied geography. They link remote towns with larger hubs, support tourism to beautiful but less‑accessible regions, and provide practical options when rail or road travel might take much longer. Many of these services are part of regional connectivity schemes that help open up smaller airports.
What to Expect on Brief Journeys
On flights under an hour, boarding and disembarking processes take a larger share of your travel time than actual flying. You can typically expect a light snack, quick ascent, and then a descent soon after. These hops are generally operated by turboprop aircraft or narrowbody jets suited for short sectors. Checking schedules and potential delays is useful since shorter flights can be sensitive to weather changes and traffic at busy airports.
Whether you are planning a quick business trip, a scenic getaway into hill stations, or need efficient regional travel, exploring these short routes shows how well connected even close cities have become with frequent air services.