School run lasts less than two minutes

six orkney youngsters do one-mile hop to lessons by plane

Published:

THE world’s shortest flight has become the school run for a group of Scottish teenagers.

The one-mile hop between airfields on Papa Westray and Westray in Orkney takes less than two minutes.

Youngsters on Papa Westray have traditionally caught ferries to and from Westray, where they attend Westray Junior High School at Pierowall.

However, the ferry used to take pupils between the islands is covering another Orkney route until late December.

That means Holly Crocker, Leanne Cursiter, Solan and Cassia Dodman, Shane Hourston and Rowan Pierce, who are all aged 13 and 14, will be flown until a regular ferry service returns in January.

Loganair uses an eight-seater Islander plane to transport the teenagers between the islands. The airline even changed its schedules to ensure that the children get to school on time.

The teenagers also stay overnight twice a week with host families on Westray.

Loganair’s commercial director Jonathan Hinkles said: “At less than two minutes, the flight between Westray and Papa Westray is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s shortest flight.

“While it is a popular tourist route for many visitors, it’s also a vital lifeline to those residents who live, work or do business in the Orkneys.

“It will make all the difference to ensuring those children who live on Papa Westray can continue their schooling throughout the winter.”

Willie McEwen, acting head teacher at Westray Junior High, said: “Our children will enjoy the flying, especially as at this time of the year it can be quite rough on the boat.

“This kind of flexibility is an essential part of island life and the youngsters take it all in their stride.”

The Islander air service, which carries about 20,000 passengers each year, is vital for local residents during the winter months, delivering food, mail and newspapers and providing a lifeline between the islands and Kirkwall on mainland Orkney.

Westray is home to more than 600 people while Papa Westray is the smaller of the two islands, with a population of 70 and only one primary school.