Reason why the world's shortest flight that's just 53 seconds long still exists today

A 53 second flight seems totally pointless, right? But for the citizens of the Scottish Orkney Islands of Westray and Papa Westray, there's not much choice.

Operating since 1967 by Loganair, the flight crosses a strip of water separating the Scottish islands and takes a total of 90 seconds, only 53 of which are spent in the air.

The Britten-Norman BN2B-26 Islander aircraft only carries 10 passengers and is essential for the 90 people (yes, 90!) who live on Papa Westray.

The flight connects Orkney's islands of Westray and Papa Westray (Great Big Story / YouTube)

Flights run daily on this unusual route, with the total distance being just 2.7km (1.7 miles).

It's mainly used by teachers and students heading to study archaeological sites, but health professionals also use the route to tend to residents.

You might be wondering why this plane ride is still in operation. Surely there's a better and simpler way to get from point A to B than by air?

Unfortunately, that's where you'd be wrong.

While yes, the distance is pretty short, there is only one other option for residents of Papa Westray wanting to travel to the slightly larger island of Westray, the ferry, which takes roughly 25 minutes.

Compare that to the speedy Loganair flight and it's a no brainer for residents in a rush.

'But why can you not drive if the distance is so short?' I hear you cry.

Well, that would be because there are no bridges connecting the islands, and quite simply, the population of Papa Westray is too small for the construction of a bridge to make financial sense at the moment.

In a video posted to YouTube by Great Big Story, the pilot of Westray's tiny flight noted that he'd flown this route around 5,000 times but has only racked up a total of about 50 hours of flight time.

Sadly not every flight can run as smoothly and quickly as this one.

The world's longest passenger flight for example takes you from New York's JFK to Singapore Changi Airport in a whopping 18 hours and 50 minutes.

Loganair's super short flight also manages to steer clear of any in-flight entertainment related issues much like the flight that recently played an X-rated film that was impossible to turn off for every single passenger...

There have been talks of building a bridge between Westray and Papa Westray in the past, however as of 2024 none of these have begun and it seems unlikely that they will any time soon.