Salt water splashing on the windows of an airplane is rarely a good thing. Doubly so when the aircraft is fitted with wheels rather than pontoons for aquatic adventures. But just under an hour west of Glasgow it is a regular affair, part of a unique aviation experience.
The airport at Barra, Scotland does not have a runway. Or perhaps there are infinite runways, depending on how one looks at the situation. A flat, sandy beach serves the island airport, the only commercial airport in the world I know of configured that way.
The flats have some marked headings, but a windsock posted on the beach is arguably the most important marker. It informs locals that the beach is closed in anticipation of aircraft operations. And it guides the pilots, lining up into the wind with the flexibility of no pavement to hit.
The only real restrictions at Barra: Flights do not land at high tide, when the runway area is under water, nor at night.
Loganair flies the route with a flexible schedule, required to account for the tides that wash over the beach twice a day and take the runway out of service. And even having the flights scheduled does not guarantee they’ll operate. We initially booked the earlier of two flights on a January Saturday for the outbound and the later return, planning to spend a couple hours on the Island exploring and enjoying lunch at the newly renovated cafe.
Alas, the first was cancelled for “operational reasons,” which appears linked to a couple aircraft out of service. All affected passengers were consolidated on to the one remaining trip with open seats still on board, though our lunch was less awesome than planned. Presumably that behavior will go away as the aircraft are fixed or future schedules are adjusted.
Most of the passengers remained on the island for a longer visit, but the crew is familiar with those making a quick turn for the AvGeekery. On arrival they had boarding passes waiting for the four of us headed straight back. And the paper pass was required; the gate scanners at both Glasgow and Barra would not read the digital options the airline makes available via its website.
The aircraft itself is nothing special from a passenger experience basis, save for the unique landing operations. The DHC-6 Twin Otter seats 19 in a 1-2 layout. That can be a tight squeeze for adults, but you’re typically not in the seats for very long. The Loganair version offers air vents for comfort, and there’s something of a view out the front, though the side windows are much more accessible unless you’re in the first couple rows.
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Hey Seth, I’m an American AvGeek, resident in Scotland the last 30 years. Did an overnighter to Bara about 20 years ago just for the experience. It was fantastic! Stayed in one of the two hotels in Castlebay, the only town on the island and loved it. The departure was wild we taxied to several locations as the tide was coming in and by the time we went for it we had to have been bombing through a a couple feet of water. Fabulous!
Hi Seth, This is a bucket list must! I flew there with my family on a beautiful August day last year for a significant birthday. Bikes delivered to the airport by the local hire shop and we cycled Barra and the neighbouring island Vatersay (over the causeway) and flew back the next day following a lovely night in one of the hotels mentioned above. I’ve sailed to Barra several times but had long wanted to fly there and it was fabulous.
Incidentally, Vatersay and Barra are the bottom end of the Hebridean Way which 180 miles and 8 islands of the Outer Hebrides later ends at the top of Lewis. An island well known to the current US president.