The world’s shortest airline routes

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(CNN)Back in 1927 it was Charles Lindbergh, flying non-stop from New York to Paris.

Earlier this year, it was Russian adventurer Fedor Konyukhov, making a nonstop solo circumnavigation of the globe in a hot air balloon.

The focus in aviation has always been on flying farther and staying airborne for longer.

And yet, while long-haul flights have the undeniable allure of the exotic, other, much shorter, air routes have the beauty of the minimal.

November sees the launch of the world’s shortest international commercial flight — an eight-minute hop between Switzerland’s St. Gallen-Altenrhein and Germany’s Friedrichshafen.

To mark the event, we’ve compiled a list of air routes that stand out for being the shortest commercial flights on the planet.

What’s it like to fly when you are within sight of your final destination?

Shortest international commercial flight

St.Gallen-Altenrhein (Switzerland) to Friedrichshafen (Germany)

Airline: People’s Viennaline. (ACH-FDH). Distance: 13 miles (20 kilometers). (Starts November 2, 2016).

Lake Constance lies on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps and its 571 square kilometers of waters are shared by three countries: Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

There are just 20 kilometers, as the crow flies, between St. Gallen-Altenrhein airport, on the northeastern tip of Switzerland and Friedrichshafen, Germany, on the opposite lakeshore.

People’s Viennaline, a small Austrian airline, will connect the two cities with its new regular service.

The journey time? Just eight minutes.

This flight, served by Embraer regional jets, is actually just the first leg of a longer route that ends in Cologne.

Only about 10% of the forecast annual 40,000 passengers are expected to just take the shorter leg between Altenrhein and Friedrichshafen, says Danel Steffen, CEO of People’s Viennaline.

“But this stopover will benefit both tourists and commuters working on both sides of the lake and, of course, it is also likely to become a must in every aviation enthusiast’s logbook,” he adds.

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to Niagara District Airport (Canada)

Airline: Greater Toronto Airways. (YTZ-YCM). Distance: 32 miles (51 kilometers).

The land route between Toronto and Niagara involves an 85-mile drive along the shores of Lake Ontario, but it only takes some 15 minutes to fly in a straight line across the water.

A local Canadian airline has just launched a daily flight on this route using small Piper Navajo aircraft.

This will certainly make it easier for Toronto tourists and residents alike to visit the famous Niagara waterfalls.

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