Airfield vying for ‘most scenic’ title

● Beach landing a favourite among flyers

PICTURESQUE: Barra’s airstrip was licensed as an airport in 1936 and features in films, adverts and magazines

Barra airstrip, with its spectacular beach landing, is a bucket list flight for thousands of passengers each year.

The “airport” in the Outer Hebrides is in the running to be this year’s most scenic airfield in Europe.

Flight fans around the world regularly participate in the poll run by charter plane company, PrivateFly.

Barra is the only scheduled service beach landing in the world and is regularly featured in films, adverts and magazines. During the summer, the air service is very often closed to islanders because of the length of booking windows.

Last year Barra Airport was named as among the world’s most scenic airports, coming second on a list of 10, topped by Donegal Airport in Ireland with Nice Cote d’Azur in France, third, in a poll by PrivateFly.

Barra won the award in 2012.

A panel of travel experts and aviation fans participated in the annual poll, which featured 129 different airports around the world and received over 7,000 votes.

Of Barra, PrivateFly said voters had praised “the quirky nature, the magnificent views coming in and going out and on to a sandy beach. It is a joyous experience from start to finish. Just wonderful”.

For this year’s competition, there are six regional categories around the globe. Barra is the only one from Scotland selected for the European section.

Barra – which celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2016 – is believed to be the only airport in the UK that officially has three designated runways, but only when uncovered by the sea.

The first planes landed on the sand in the wide bay of Traigh Mhor in June 1936.

It was officially licensed as an airport on August 8 that year.

Many flyers flock to Barra simply because of its picturesque landing, famously featured in the Martin Clunes’ film Staggered.

Two Twin Otter aircraft were bought by the Scottish Government to provide a lifeline air service to Barra, Tiree and Campbeltown.