It's evident that British Airways' longest flight is operated by a widebody aircraft, but did you know that the flag carrier's shortest flight is also served by a widebody aircraft? Now you do! Here's a look at the airlines' shortest and longest routes.

The shortest flight

According to schedule information from aviation data experts Cirium, British Airways' shortest flight covers just 63 miles (101 km) as the crow flies. The flight is actually a tag flight from London Gatwick (LGW) to Antigua flight. Having arrived in Antigua, it continues on to St. Kitts.

ANU-SKB
Photo: GCMap

The flight is scheduled to take just 30 minutes, although it is not a fifth freedom flight, meaning you cannot buy tickets just for this leg of the trip. Every passenger must start or end their journey in London. As such, you could argue that it is not truly the shortest flight.

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The shortest bookable flight

The shortest bookable flight operated by British Airways is one and a half times longer but departs from the airline's London home. The flight sees Airbus A320 family aircraft connecting the UK mainland with Jersey, a Crown dependency in the English Channel.

LHR-JER Route Map
Photo: GCMap

From London Heathrow to Jersey, the flight time is listed at one hour and five minutes, with multiple services scheduled each day. The distance as the crow flies on this route is 161 miles (259 km).

The shortest bookable international flight

To find the shortest bookable international flight, you'll need to actually make it all the way across the English Channel. Clocking in at 215 miles (346 km) and equidistant as London to Newquay is the route to Paris' Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport.

LHR-CDG Route Map
Photo: GCMap

The route to Paris is also typically operated by an Airbus A320 family aircraft, although during high cargo demand, the carrier has previously scheduled the 787 in the past too. At 215 miles, the flight time is less than 45 minutes, most of which is spent during ascent and descent, with the flight usually never exceeding 25,000 feet. This makes it British Airways' shortest international service, one that is unlikely to be beaten very soon.

What about the longest flight?

The longest non-stop flight in the British Airways network by over 600 miles is the 'hop' across the Atlantic Ocean from London to Santiago in Chile. As the crow flies, aircraft heading to the South American destination fly 7,227 miles (11,630 km). While one might guess the service from London to Sydney, this is punctuated by a stop in Singapore, meaning it is no longer nonstop (although it is direct).

LHR-SCL Route Map
Photo: GCMap

Unlike the shortest route, British Airways uses the Boeing 787-9 for its hops to Santiago. According to the airline's flight schedule, the outbound flight takes place overnight, departing London at 21:55 and landing in Santiago at 08:30 the next day. As such, the flight is timed to take 14 hours and 35 minutes, although it usually just shy of 14 hours on most days.

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The longest narrowbody flight

We've touched on several shortest flights, so it only makes sense to touch on more than one longest flight too. The longest narrowbody flight being operated by British Airways this year is the 2,292 mile (3,689 km). You can get from London Heathrow to Amman in Jordan on an Airbus A320neo or similar aircraft for that mileage. The flight has a scheduled time of five and a quarter hours.

LHR-AMM Route Map
Photo: GCMap

With narrowbody range only increasing with the A321XLR arriving, expect to see more of these routes appear in the coming months. Indeed, the longest narrowbody flight is already nearly 10 hours long!

Have you flown on any of British Airways' shortest or longest flights? Let us know what you think and why in the comments down below!

  • British Airways Tile
    British Airways
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    BA/BAW
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    London Heathrow Airport, London Gatwick Airport
    Year Founded:
    1974
    Alliance:
    oneworld
    Airline Group:
    IAG
    CEO:
    Sean Doyle
    Country:
    United Kingdom
    Loyalty Program:
    British Airways Executive Club
    Region:
    Europe