Shortest flight billed to Holm of Papay

The Scotsman published a travel feature on May 24 tracing a trip to Holm of Papay, a small uninhabited island off Papa Westray in Orkney reached via the route widely billed as the world’s shortest scheduled flight. The article by Andrew Dunbar described a two-minute hop across the water and framed the island as a place where archaeology, not accommodation or nightlife, is the destination. The flight itself is tied to the long-running Westray-to-Papa Westray air service operated by Loganair. Guinness World Records lists that service as the shortest domestic scheduled flight at 2.74 km, or 1.7 miles. ### Which flight is actually the record-holder? Guinness World Records says the record belongs to the scheduled service between Westray and Papa Westray in Orkney, not to Holm of Papay itself. The organization lists the route at 2.74 km and says the flight takes two minutes including taxiing, with Loganair operating it since 1967. Loganair’s own Orkney inter-island page describes the same service as the world’s shortest flight and gives a duration of about 90 seconds. (scotsman.com) The Scotsman article used that short flight as the gateway to Holm of Papay, which sits just off Papa Westray. In practice, the travel hook is the Westray-Papa Westray leg, followed by onward access to the holm itself. ### Where is Holm of Papay, and why do people go there? Holm of Papay is a very small uninhabited island in the Orkney Islands, according to reference material and local tourism information. (guinnessworldrecords.com) The draw is its archaeological remains, including Neolithic chambered cairns dated to about 5,000 years ago. Historic Environment Scotland describes the Holm of Papa Westray chambered cairn as a well-preserved burial monument with unusual internal features and surviving Neolithic artwork. (scotsman.com) The Scotsman said the island offers “5,000 years of history,” and local Papa Westray material links the site to longstanding archaeological interest. NorthLink Ferries’ island guide says three Neolithic chambered cairns were discovered on the holm and calls the southernmost one among Orkney’s most spectacular burial tombs. ### How short is “world’s shortest” in practice? (en.wikipedia.org) The scheduled timing is brief enough that different sources describe it slightly differently depending on whether they mean airborne time or the full gate-to-gate movement. Guinness uses two minutes including taxiing, while Loganair says 90 seconds. Other travel accounts note that favorable winds can make the airborne segment even shorter, but the scheduled service is the record that matters. (scotsman.com) The route is not a novelty charter. Loganair says the flight is part of its Orkney inter-island network from Kirkwall to the North Isles. Travel guides and local listings describe it as a regular service used as part of wider island journeys rather than a one-off tourist stunt. ### What does a visitor need to know before trying it? Loganair says Orkney inter-island flights connect Kirkwall with the North Isles, including the Westray-Papa Westray sector. (guinnessworldrecords.com) Independent travel guidance says passengers often book the short hop as part of a Kirkwall-Westray-Papa Westray triangle, with schedules varying by day and season. Historic Environment Scotland maintains the visitor page for the Holm of Papa Westray chambered cairn, while Loganair publishes current inter-island flight information. (quixoticguide.com) Those two sources are the clearest next stops for travelers checking access, timings and site details after The Scotsman’s May 24 feature. (loganair.co.uk)