Barra to Glasgow Loganair flight marks 50th birthday

However, Loganair pilot Edward Slawson is diplomatic when asked if it takes more skill to fly and land a plane on Barra's Traigh Mhòr than flying a Boeing 747 into JFK airport.

"No comment' he says, laughing.

Negotiating the world's only scheduled beach landing requires a "similar but subtly different set of skills" he goes on to explain.

"The Twin Otter is a relatively simple aircraft while a 747 has a lot of complexity to it that you have to manage," he says.

The Twin Otter touches down on Barra's white sands (Image: Jamie Simpson)

"We have to do a lot more hand flying so I'd say my hand flying skills are probably sharper than someone who spends 13 hours on autopilot before landing but also my aircraft is nowhere near as complex as theirs."

He qualified as a pilot in 2022 and landed his first job with Loganair in July of that year and flies the airline's other island routes to Tiree and Campbelltown with a day's shift entailing two return flights or three during the Summer.

"You know it's a really nice day in Barra when you can see St Kilda on the approach which is 75-odd miles out onto the Atlantic," says the pilot, who lives in Glasgow.

"You get to see all the seasons in this job pretty close up, the weather can be pretty vile out here but you do get to see some very cool things," he adds.

"I saw a pod of dolphins for the first time a few weeks ago and other pilots have seen whales and basking sharks."

The 12.15pm flight I am waiting for is about 30 minutes late on account of the "very Scottish" weather conditions in Barra. The tide is also in so our runway is currently under water.

Our pilot Rebecca Simpson comes into the Glasgow Airport lounge with good news. She anticipates we will be able to board at 12.45pm as the tide has moved by 20 metres.

The flight can be forced to turn back to Glasgow if the weather dictates (Image: Jamie Simpson)

It is still possible they may not be able to land but she reassures us they have extra fuel to cover all eventualities. 

Put simply, the flight would not go if it wasn't safe to travel. That doesn't mean you won't experience a good bit of shoogle on the journey, which takes around an hour.

"We do get some nervous passengers but most people who have bought a ticket for a small plane - if they are really nervous fliers just don't do it," says Edward.

"If you go through turbulence you can tell when the locals are on board versus the tourists because the locals are reading a book or asleep and the tourists are holding the back of the seat."

This is my third time travelling on the flight to Barra, which is celebrating its 50th year of operation by Loganair.

The first time the pilot took a slight detour to fly over Mingulay, the island my granny Kate Agnes Maclean was born in before the island was cleared and the family settled in Vatersay. 

My aunty Flora, who moved to Glasgow, took it regularly. It must have been a revelation to travel to the city in an hour.

I couldn't believe how soft the landing was on that first trip, although Edward is quick to point out that not all touch downs are as smooth as that.

"I'd like to say it's all down to the skill but actually the tyres on the twin otter are very big for the size of the aircraft and they are also relatively low pressure so it's designed to be off-road, like a beach essentially and that helps cushion the landing," says the pilot.

A Loganair pilot preparing to land in Barra (Image: Jamie Simpson)

"But it is really all down to the skill," adds the pilot joking, modestly.

My second trip, in January this year, was during stormy weather. The plane dipped (and so did my heart) on the ascent and there was no Barra gin available on board to quell my fear.

There are nine of us on today's flight on the Spirit of Eilidh, named after Barra teenager Eilidh Macleod who died in the Manchester Arena terrorist atrocity on May 22 2017.

A third of today's passengers are visitors, including Peter from Budapest, an aviation enthusiast who is fulfilling a long-held dream to board the flight.

He is among a high number of tourists who just travel for the novelty of landing on the sand - some travel as far as Australia for the experience.

The flight brings thousands of tourists to Barra but some just travel to experience the flight (Image: Duncan MacKinnon)

"There is a really good YouTube channel in Hungary which is really an airport museum and there is a lot of history of planes and flights," he says.

"It [Barra] is one of the one of the world's most beautiful places and certainly one of the most unique airports in the world."

While it is very much a unique and popular tourist attraction for those visiting the islands, the flight is also a vital and appreciated service for locals. 

"I definitely prefer the plane because of how quick it is," says David MacNeill, who has recently moved back to Glasgow from Australia and has family in Barra.

"It is a luxury," says Shona Gray, a graphic designer, of the flight, which starts at around £89, and who was returning to Barra after a shopping trip to Glasgow, "but time makes up for the expense."

"It makes travelling home a lot easier, if you've got work to do," she says. "There is always an anxiety about if it will be able to land - we are more aware of how the weather can affect it."

Barra is bucking the depopulation trend in the Western Isles and Theresa Irving of Northbay Community Council says the flight allows people moving there to "have the best of both worlds" and is actually quite cost effective.

She said: "If you are going to Glasgow and taking your vehicle to Oban and driving down it's actually not that much more expensive. In that respect, it's great to be able to get on a flight and be wherever you need to be whether it be or Glasgow or ongoing down to London or anywhere else."

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We have the added reassurance of three pilots on today's flight. Rebecca and Harry, another, experienced pilot who has not long joined Loganair, is still training and they will be supervised by Edward.

The pilots are taking the plane in using an instrument approach today which means they will descend on a right angle and hover 800ft above the sand.

"By law you can't descend below a certain altitude so when it's solid cloud or blowing a gale it it gives us the best chance of seeing the beach and being able to land," he says.

"Normally we would just charge in, in a straight line and make a beeline for the beach."

Barra has had an airport since 1936, but the current iteration of Barra Airport opened in 1974 and passenger numbers have almost doubled from around 7,500 in the late 70s to about 14,800 pre-Covid. 

Visitors are greeted by airport staff who must be among the friendliest when they arrive in Barra including  Dolina Manford whose grandparents were from the island. The family moved there when she was ten.

The flight is classed as a lifeline service for the island and an important part her job is looking after the passengers who are travelling to the mainland for cancer treatment. There is a dedicated room at the small airport for patients.

"You can see the change in them and they've got to keep travelling," she says. "It can be quite difficult when they come in with their bad news," she says. 

She has checked in her fair share of famous faces and won't name names but smiles when I mention that Irish actress Saoirse Ronan and her husband Jack Lowden have visited and Lorraine Kelly is a regular traveller to the island.

She has also handled a fair number of marriage proposals, which has included writing 'Will you marry me?' in the sand, although she is very keen to stress that this is not always possible.

“It always brings us immense pleasure to see the faces of tourists as they disembark the plane following a one-of-a-kind landing here on the beach," says Michael Galbraith, Barra Airport Manager.

"Knowing that it is recognised globally and brings people from all corners to our island is a real source of pride.”

Today's flight has exceeded Peter's expectations.

"Amazing - I've never landed on so much water," says the Hungarian, looking starry eyed and eager to get back on board for his return trip.