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The Shortest Flight in the World is in Scotland
Frequently Asked Questions About the World’s Shortest Commercial Flight
Q: Does the flight run in both directions?
A: Yes. The return flight is as regular as the outward flight.
Q: How long has the flight been running?
A: Since 1967. It’s always been operated by Loganair, and it’ll probably always be operated by Loganair. Loganair is a Scottish airline and the team specialize in flying people to some of the nation’s most remote islands.
Q: Why does this flight actually even exist?
A: Well, it’s a form of public transport, obviously. Yep, for people like me and you (who don’t live on the Orkneys), it seems like a bit of a gimmick. But locals need to get around the Orkneys—so if a local needs to hop between Westray and Papa Westray, this is the quickest way.
Q: Who usually takes these flights?
A: According to my research, the most frequent passengers are students and teachers from Westray, who use the flight to visit the 50+ archaeological sites on Papa Westray. Some Westray medical professionals use the flights to offer care to the residents of Papa Westray, while some Papa Westray residents fly in the other direction to get medical care on Westray. Oh, and some people use the flights just to visit family and friends.
Q: How many seats are on the aircraft?
A: Only 10. And only 8 of them are for passengers. One seat is for the pilot, and the one seat beside the pilot stays empty. I don’t know why the empty seat stays empty.
Q: What exactly are the airports like?
A: Small. As you might have guessed, both Westray Airport and Papa Westray Airport are TINY. Like little houses. Imagine walking into a tiny cottage, having your bag collected from you, then walking out of the other side of the cottage and into a plane. Congratulations: you’ve now imagined flying through both Westray Airport and Papa Westray Airport.
Q: What’s this thing I’ve heard about certificates?
A: When you get to the Loganair Inter-Island desk at Kirkwall Airport (after your flights between Westray and Papa Westray), you can ask for a certificate. It says you’ve flown in the world’s shortest flight, in case you ever need proof.
Q: How much does this short flight cost?
A: At the time of writing, you can get your greasy little hands on a ticket for only £17 (that’s equivalent to around $21.50USD). You get your tickets at the official Loganair website.
Q: Okay, I want to take the flight. How do I get to the Orkney Islands?
A: Well, as you now know, the Orkneys aren’t on the Scottish mainland. Usually, the best way is to fly. You can fly directly to Kirkwall (that’s the island’s capital) from Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and even the Shetland islands. Or to tackle the trip by boat, you can take direct ferries from Aberdeen, Scrabster, the Shetland Islands, and Gills Bay (relatively close to John O’Groats).
Q: And how do I get from Kirkwall to Westray?
A:The easiest option is to fly from Kirkwall to Westray. Especially given all the Westray to Papa Westray flights actually originate in Kirkwall.
Q: Is the flight number always the same?
A:No, it changes depending on which day you fly, and in which direction you fly. The Wikipedia page explores the exact stats, so I won’t bore you with them here.
Q: What views do you get?
A: You’ll see farmland, little hills, lots of green, lots of sea, a load of cliffs and colors, and the entirety of whichever island you’re flying to. Here’s a video of the full flight.
Q: Wouldn’t it be easier/faster to take a ferry?
A: The Orkney Islands are home to many ferries—and as you can see here, ferries sail between Westray and Papa Westray multiple times a day (on most days). Ferries have to be booked 24 hours in advance, the journey lasts 25 minutes, and a ticket costs only £2.95 for adults. The Westray ferry port is called ‘Pierowall.’ Taking the ferry is convenient, and flying is convenient. But because the airport process isn’t the same as you get in a ‘normal’ airport, you don’t need to be at the airport 2 hours in advance. So although both options are good, taking a flight is vaguely faster.
Q: Is the flight safe and reliable? And how does the weather affect it?
A: In the words of Loganair’s chief executive, the craft is “well suited to the vagaries of Scottish weather”. And as far as I can tell, there have never been any accidents or major problems along the route.
Q: Do Loganair operate and offer other flights?
A: Yep, Loganair are very popular—as they say on their website, they “fly to more UK destinations than any other airline.” They serve big UK airports (like Manchester, Newcastle, and London Heathrow) along with many small island destinations (like Islay, the Isle of Man, and Tiree). Loganair even serve some non-UK destinations, in Denmark and Norway.
Q: Does the flight run every day?
A: No, not quite. On Saturdays, you can only fly from Westray to Papa Westray. On Sundays, you can only fly from Papa Westray to Westray. Every other day of the week, you can fly in both directions. You usually get more than one flight per day.
Q: Can I fly from Westray to anywhere else?
A: The only direct flights you can take from Westray are to Kirkwall and Papa Westray.
Q: Can I fly from Papa Westray to anywhere else?
A: The only direct flights you can take from Papa Westray are to Kirkwall, North Ronaldsay, and Westray.
Q: Are there any other weird short flights around the world?
A: Our strange little planet is home to 4 other flights that measure in at around 10 minutes or less. They are:
- The 5-minute Belize flight from Caye Caulker Island to San Pedro city
- The 5-minute Greek flight between the two islands of Karpathos and Kasos
- The 10-minute Irish flight from mainland Connemara to the island of Inishmore
- The 10-minute flight from the country of Sint Maarten to the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla
