“Ladies and gentlemen, our crew welcomes you aboard this plane, I am the captain and we are about to take off; please fasten your seat belts and listen to safety measures, thank you and have a good flight ”. Every time we hear these words we feel a rush of adrenaline, not to mention all the people who are very afraid of flying. Would they still have this fear if after 50 seconds they heard the captain say “Ladies and gentlemen, here we are at our destination”?
It seems impossible but it’s all true, welcome aboard the shortest flight in the world.
The shortest PLANE FLIGHT in the world: a 53 SECONDS’ journey
#From Westray to Papay in less than a minute
The shortest flight in the world lasts 53 seconds when the wind is favorable and no more than two minutes when it is not. It connects two islands of the Orkney archipelago, north-east of Scotland: Westray and Papa Westray, also known as Papay, and is operated by the Scottish regional airline Logainair.
The flight between Westray and Papa Westray covers a distance of 2.7 kilometers and is available every day except Sundays, at varying hours but always just in the morning.
Trying to book you can see flights between 8.51 and 8.53 and in this case it will not be a joke to say that the flight takes off at 8.51 and lands two minutes later.
#The benefits for the inhabitants
Westray has about 600 inhabitants, Papa Westray about seventy. This daily service of connection between the two islands and the other Orkneys exists thanks to state funds, which allow the inhabitants of these remote islands to move easily. The planes that make this flight have eight seats and this unusual journey reminisces more of a bus trip.
Loganair has been on the route since 1967. Used every day by teachers, doctors, policemen and schoolchildren, this Guinness World Records’ flight proves to be a very useful resource for the inhabitants also for the economic price that is around 17 pounds. The main airport of the archipelago is in the most important town, Kirkwall, which is located on the largest island, and it is this fast connection that allows the inhabitants of both islands to take the same flight to reach it.
#An experience to try
Since 2011, Loganair has also introduced this route for tourists. This fast flight is available two days a week in the summer for all visitors who will see the islands without stopping in either, giving everyone the opportunity to add a minute of sky to their vacation.
ARIANNA BOTTINI
