I’ve compiled the top 5 unique bucket list airline routes in the UK. From the shortest commercial flight in the world to one of the longest. Read this post to see what interesting places you could fly in the UK. Or maybe add some of these to your flying bucket list. I plan to make a post about the most interesting international flight routes in the future. If you have any suggestions for this or think there are any more interesting routes in the UK then please leave a comment below or contact me here.
1. Exeter/Newquay to Isles of Scilly (Twin Otter)
I’ll start this list off with the only flight I’ve actually flown, from Exeter to the Isles of Scilly off the Cornish Coast. The “Skybus” as the airline calls it is a 19 seat De Havilland Twin Otter operating frequent daily services between the Scilly Isles and Exeter, Newquay and Lands End. With Flight times from 20 minutes up to one hour this is a very brief flight. Alternatively you can make the trip by ferry but this takes around 3 hours.
When I flew this flight I sat on the front row, and with no divider to the cockpit we could see the pilots the entire time. This was especially impressive when coming in to land. After all you don’t often get a front on view of the airport with any large airlines.
You can buy a return ticket from £127 so it won’t break the bank, and you get a pretty unique experience out of it.
2. World’s Shortest Flight – Westray to Papa Westray (Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander)
Flown on the tiny 9-seat Britten Islander (my favourite aircraft to fly in flight simulator), this 1.7 mile (2.7km) flight takes less than a minute. Operated by Loganair, Flight LM711 essentially operates for the sole purpose of connecting the 80 or so inhabitants of Papa Westray to the slightly larger island of Westray in the remote Orkney Islands (CNN Travel).
With a direct view of the cockpit and the sheer novelty of such a short flight, this should be on the radar of any aviation enthusiast. The only downside is the remoteness and small capacity makes it an expensive and time consuming ordeal to take this flight. There is virtually nothing to do on either island though so you’ll probably just want to hop off for a few minutes before boarding the next departing flight.
3. One of the World’s Longest Flights – London to Perth (Boeing 787-9)
As a stepping stone to their long awaited Project Sunrise, Qantas introduced a non-stop flight from London to Perth in 2018. The route uses the 787-9, a plane capable of flying non-stop to Sydney as shown in the test flight below that was flown in 2019. At around 9,000 miles and 17 hours this is currently the world’s 3rd longest direct flight.
Until the arrival of Qantas’s new Airbus A350-1000s and the astronomical 20 hour London to Sydney flight in 2025, this is the best (and only) option if you want to fly directly to Australia. It is also the longest flight route departing the UK.
4. London City Airport to New York on a “Babybus” (Airbus A318)
London to New York is by no means unique, in fact it’s one of the busiest routes in the world. What makes this flight unique however is the aircraft and airport used, as well as the BA1 designation this flight had. BA1 is the flagship flight route for British Airways. It was formerly held by the Concorde from London to New York and has recently been changed to an Airbus A350-1000 from London Heathrow to New York.
The flight departs London City Airport, a unique airport in and of itself. It then continues to New York JFK vis Shannon, Ireland for US customs pre-clearance. It is the only Airbus A318 aircraft in the world with a full business class layout at a mere 32 seats in a 2-2 configuration.
Unfortunately this flight was suspended in 2020 due to Covid, but I hope it can return in some form or another. For now there are still plenty of flights out of London City Airport, and I plan to release a plane spotting video on my Youtube channel in November so be sure to stay tuned.
5. The Only Scheduled Beach Landing – Glasgow to Barra (Twin Otter)
The only scheduled commercial flight in the world to land on a beach, Glasgow to Barra is certainly one of a kind. Also flown on a Twin Otter, this 1 hour 15 minute flight can only land at low tide. Besides a tiny terminal (essentially a waiting room and two-storey control tower) and a few tractors, the airport is deserted and you can wander around the surrounding sand dunes to your hearts content. There’s a small cafe at the airport which is closed for refurbishment at the time of writing so you may want to bring your own food.
I will be making this flight in December 2022, weather permitting so keep any eye on my Youtube and main website for the review. There’s not much to do on the island beside see the lovely Kisimul castle, so this is another one I would recommend making into a day trip.
Conclusion
The UK has some really unique flight routes that anyone can go on. If you’re a fan of island hopping then there’s a lot of options. And the scenery can be truly stunning, when it’s not raining that is. The UK has it all from the world’s shortest commercial flight to one of the longest. But there are also many unique airlines routes outside the UK, which I will make an article on in the future. This will probably include the current longest route in the world (Singapore to New York) as well as dodging elephants on dirtstrips in Kenya, and many more.
Thanks for reading and please check out my other posts and Youtube Channel (videos coming soon!).