The unique Scottish flights that give passengers the 'biggest smiles' and make them feel like celebrities

This is Barra, home to the only scheduled beach landings in the world, and a bucket list experience for thousands of visitors a year.

As Scottish airline Loganair celebrates 50 years flying to the Hebridean island, its Barra station manager Dolina Manford said seeing the wow factor reflected in people’s faces was the best part of her day.

She said: “The highlight of my job is watching people come off the aircraft with the biggest smile on their faces when they realise it is actually a beach.

“They step straight onto the sand and just can’t believe it. I have to take a lot of photographs.

“Some people who have arrived by ferry ask me where the runway is and don’t believe they are taking off from the beach.”

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The Twin Otters which operate the route can take 15 passengers from Barra to Glasgow but only 13 in the opposite direction because of the extra fuel required as the island doesn’t have a refuelling station.

Ms Manford said: “People arrive at Glasgow Airport to come to Barra and realise the size of the aircraft, but when they come off the plane they tell me what an amazing experience it was.

“My experience and that of most passengers is that it’s the smoothest landing they’ve had. I find it bumpier going to Glasgow.”

Ms Manford said there were no plans to stop landing on the beach, which has been used by air ambulances since 1933 and passenger flights three years later.

She said: “If we were to have a tarmac runway, our passenger numbers would dramatically drop because it is a big attraction.

“Our fence in the car park is usually full of spectators - you feel like you’re a celebrity coming off the plane here.”

Brian Ferguson, The Scotsman’s arts correspondent, who flew there on holiday, said: “The most striking thing about the descent is how the colours of the white sands and turquoise waters gradually become more vibrant, and you realise why it is often called ‘Barrabados’.

“Landing on the cockleshell beach felt so much smoother than a normal airport runway.

“If you're looking to start a Scottish island odyssey in style it is hard to beat.”

Glasgow-born Ms Manford, who has worked at the airport for ten years including two in her present role, was drawn there by a fascination with planes landing on the beach since she played there as a child during holidays with her grandparents.

She said: “The weather is fun, even when it is bad - getting sandblasted. I get exfoliated - which people pay good money for - nearly every day.”

The two flights a day are swelled by private aircraft - up to eight at a time - bringing in birdwatchers when a rare species is spotted on the island.

Michael Galbraith, who manages the airport for Highlands and Islands Airports, said: “It always brings us immense pleasure to see the faces of tourists as they disembark the plane following a one-of-a-kind landing on the beach.

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