Flying The World’s Shortest Flight – Papawestray to Westray In The Orkney Islands

Updated: July 2026
The world’s shortest scheduled flight is Loganair’s hop from Papa Westray to Westray in Scotland’s Orkney Islands — about 1.7 miles (2.7 km), listed in the Guinness Book of World Records at two minutes and often flown in under one. I finally took it on 18 July 2010, and here’s exactly how it went.
Having flown the world’s longest scheduled commercial flight (Singapore Airlines (SQ) from Newark, NJ (EWR) to Singapore (SIN) on an Airbus A340-500), I yearned to fly the shortest.

For a few years I tried to take the world’s shortest scheduled flight from Papa Westray, Orkney Islands, Scotland (PPW) to Westray, Orkney Islands, Scotland (WRY) a distance of about 1.7 miles/2.7km, but various things prevented this from occurring. Today, 18 July, 2010, nothing stood in the way.

The flight is recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records as being 2 minutes. After the flight you get an official certificate and in true Scottish style, a small bottle of Scottish Whisky with which to celebrate the event. It is even of the right size to fit in your carry on baggage.

The world’s shortest scheduled flight is operated by Scotland’s Loganair on a single piloted twin-engined Britten Norman Islander. The flight starts in Kirkwall, Orkney Islands Scotland (KOI) as LOG377 departing at 15:00 (3p for the Americans). It then heads for Papa Westray, then to Westray and back to Kirkwall for a total scheduled time of 0:44. Here is the complete itinerary:

• Kirkwall to Papa Westray 15:00 15:16
• Papa Westray to Westray 15:21 15:23
• Westray to Kirkwall 15:28 15:44

Of all the small airlines I’ve flown, this one impressed me the most. Simplicity is its name. I e-mail them and got an immediate reply, well in a few hours as it was late at night their time when I e-mailed. The guy who responded was courteous and explained the whole process. As it turns out, when I arrived in Kirkwall from Aberdeen, Scotland (ABZ) he was at the counter. You see he is the reservations agent, the e-mail response guy, the check-in clerk and the lone ground handling personnel. He is one of four he tells me in a fantastic Scottish accent. It was fun to watch him at work.

When I e-mailed, he advised that the price is 39 GBP and that I needed to call on the day of travel once they open the office so I can book. You see if the weather is bad then the flight won’t operate.

Booking The Flight

Once I got to Kirkwall, I introduced myself and he booked me on the flight and told me to pay the next day when I arrived as I was rushing to get the 1.20 GBP bus to the city.

You can check this page at https://www.loganair.co.uk/ for reservations information including the schedules. Today, it’s much easier to book, you can just book online :-). Here’s what the schedule looks like today:

 

The next day I arrived early as I wanted to check out the operations and the bus from the city was ill timed for that flight so I had to take the 12:45p bus; the journey is about 15 minutes. No worries it was fun to watch the airport operations. There were four of us booked on the flight. Two locals, a guy from Italy and myself. Check-in, well, there was no check-in, we just followed the agent to the plane and boarded. How simple was that. I sat behind the right seat, the Italian dude next to me and the couple behind us. The lone pilot gave us the safety briefing and we were off.

Approaching Papa Westray

As we approached Papa Westray, the Captain pointed it out. We then flew over Westray made a right turn and landed on the grass runway at Papa Westray, a two-room single building terminal.

One room for passengers and staff, the other housed the “fire truck,” which actually had the license plate with the letters “LHR” in it. Go figure. Do you think that was on purpose? I say fire truck as it is really an SUV with fire stuff behind it.

Taking Off For Westray

We picked up two ladies who sat behind the couple, got some cargo (a little box) and we were off down the gravel runway this time. We then made a right hand turn, then a left hand turn and landed about 2 minutes later on the grass runway in Westray as it had started to rain.

Landing In Westray

We then taxied up to a similar building as at Papa Westray, except it said Westray on it; yes a SUV in the garage as well. The couple disembarked and a lone male passenger boarded. There was a “welcoming” committee at the terminal waiving and taking pictures. I felt like I did when I flew in the Micronesian Islands, it was so cool. Some pleasantries were exchanged by the ground crew and the Captain and we were off as it started to rain heavier.

Departing Westray

We made it down the gravel runway, turned around, and took off in no time.

We initially flew back at about 5,000 feet as it was raining above, then later climbed back up to our original cruisin’ altitude of 7,000′ until we descended into Kirkwall about 5 minutes early ending the journey of the world’s shortest scheduled commercial flight. I was elated and extremely happy.

Arriving in Kirkwall

Once inside the terminal, the Italian guy and I were presented with our certificates with our names on them and signed by the Captain, plus our little bottle of Scotch whiskey. 

Sixteen Years Later

Hard to believe it’s been sixteen years since I stepped onto that little Islander on 18 July 2010. The flight is still going — same grass runways, same two-minute record, same whisky at the end — and it’s still the one small-airline experience I recommend above all others. If you’ve been putting it off as I did for years, this is your sign. Some flights are worth chasing precisely because they’re so pointless.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the world’s shortest flight?
Loganair’s scheduled service between Papa Westray and Westray in Scotland’s Orkney Islands — about 1.7 miles, listed by Guinness at two minutes and often flown in under 90 seconds.
How long is the world’s shortest flight?
Scheduled at two minutes gate to gate; with the right wind the actual airborne time is under a minute. The full Loganair routing from Kirkwall (Kirkwall–Papa Westray–Westray–Kirkwall) is about 44 minutes.
How much does it cost and how do I book?
When I flew it in 2010 the fare was £39 and you called the day of travel; today you can book online at Loganair. Because it’s weather-dependent, confirm operation on your travel day.
What plane flies the world’s shortest flight?
The Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander — an eight-seat single-pilot twin that’s been the workhorse of Orkney’s inter-island flying for decades.
Do you really get a certificate?
Yes — passengers on the record sector receive a certificate signed by the captain, and in true Scottish style, a small bottle of whisky sized to fit your carry-on.

Have you taken this flight before?