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Routes change often. The airline lists below come from Wikipedia’s airport articles, read on 1 Nov 2026: useful background, not a booking source. Seasonal, charter-only and future routes are left out. Check the airline before you plan around a flight. We give no flight times or fares.
Fly or take the train?
The train time is the fastest one the National Rail or operator page gives, centre to centre. A flight time is not comparable on its own: add getting to the airport, security and the trip into town (see airport transfers).
| Reise | Flights (Wikipedia, 1 Nov 2026) | Fastest published train |
|---|---|---|
| London and Edinburgh | Heathrow, Gatwick, London City, Luton and Stansted all list Edinburgh flights1,2,3,4,5,12 | 4 hr 20 min14 |
| London and Glasgow | Heathrow, Gatwick, London City, Luton and Stansted all list Glasgow flights1,2,3,4,5,12 | 4 hr 20 min15 |
| London and Inverness (Highlands) | Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton list Inverness flights1,2,3,4,5,12 | No published figure |
| London and Belfast (Northern Ireland) | Every London airport we list has Belfast flights; there is no train1,2,3,4,5,12 | No train: ferry or fly (see ferry routes) |
| London and Newquay (Cornwall) | Gatwick and Stansted list Newquay flights1,2,3,4,5,12 | 5 hr 4 min16 |
| Manchester and Newquay (Cornwall) | Manchester lists Newquay flights (easyJet and Loganair)1,2,3,4,5,12 | No published figure |
Northern Ireland has no rail link to Great Britain: the alternatives are flying or a ferry (see ferry routes). For Cornwall, the Night Riviera Sleeper is another option: see London to Cornwall by train.
Flying to the Scottish islands
Loganair, a Scottish regional airline based at Glasgow Airport, runs most island flights. Wikipedia notes that its network includes the world’s shortest scheduled route, between Westray and Papa Westray in Orkney.17 Kirkwall’s airline table lists inter-island flights to Eday, North Ronaldsay, Papa Westray, Sanday, Stronsay and Westray.10 Book and check times with Loganair (opens in new tab).18 Airport guides: Kirkwall, Sumburgh, Stornoway, Inverness.
For the Isles of Scilly, Isles of Scilly Travel lists flights to St Mary’s from Land’s End, Newquay and Exeter, alongside its ferry from Penzance.19
Domestic routes by airport
UK, Isle of Man and Channel Islands destinations listed in each airport’s Wikipedia table.
From Heathrow1
- British Airways: Aberdeen, Belfast–City, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Guernsey, Inverness, Jersey, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne
- Loganair: Derry, Isle of Man
From Gatwick2
- Aurigny: Guernsey
- British Airways: Glasgow, Jersey
- easyJet: Aberdeen, Belfast–City, Belfast–International, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Isle of Man, Jersey, Newquay
From London City3
- Aurigny: Guernsey
- British Airways: Belfast–City, Edinburgh, Glasgow
From Luton4
- easyJet: Aberdeen, Belfast–City, Belfast–International, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Jersey, Isle of Man
From Stansted5
- easyJet: Belfast–International, Edinburgh, Glasgow
- Ryanair: Belfast–International, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newquay
From Edinburgh6
- Aer Lingus: Belfast–City
- Aurigny: Guernsey
- British Airways: London–City, London–Heathrow
- easyJet: Belfast–International, Birmingham, Bristol, Derry, London–Gatwick, London–Luton, London–Southend, London–Stansted, Belfast–City, Jersey
- Loganair: Exeter, Isle of Man, Kirkwall, Southampton, Stornoway, Sumburgh
- Ryanair: Belfast–International, Bournemouth, London–Stansted, Newquay
From Glasgow7
- Aer Lingus: Belfast–City
- Air Charter Scotland: Wick
- British Airways: London–City, London–Gatwick, London–Heathrow
- easyJet: Belfast–City, Belfast–International, Birmingham, Bristol, Jersey, London–Gatwick, London–Luton, London–Stansted, Southampton
- Loganair: Barra, Benbecula, Campbeltown, Derry, Islay, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Sumburgh, Tiree
- Ryanair: London–Stansted
From Aberdeen8
- Air Charter Scotland: Wick
- British Airways: London–Heathrow
- easyJet: London–Gatwick, London–Luton
- Loganair: Belfast–City, Birmingham, Bristol, Kirkwall, Manchester, Norwich, Sumburgh
From Inverness9
- British Airways: London–Heathrow
- easyJet: Birmingham, Bristol, London–Gatwick, London–Luton
- Loganair: Belfast–City, Kirkwall, Manchester, Stornoway, Sumburgh
From Kirkwall (Orkney)10
- Loganair: Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Sumburgh, Eday, North Ronaldsay, Papa Westray, Sanday, Stronsay, Westray, Belfast–City, Manchester
From Belfast City11
- Aer Lingus: Birmingham, Cardiff, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford, Manchester, Southampton
- British Airways: London–City, London–Heathrow
- easyJet: Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, London–Gatwick, London–Luton, London–Southend, Manchester
- Loganair: Aberdeen, Inverness, Kirkwall, Sumburgh
From Manchester12
- Aer Lingus: Belfast–City
- Aurigny: Guernsey
- British Airways: London–Heathrow
- easyJet: Belfast–City, Belfast–International, Isle of Man, Jersey, Newquay
- Loganair: Aberdeen, Inverness, Isle of Man, Kirkwall, Newquay, Sumburgh
- Ryanair: Belfast–International, Derry
From Newquay (Cornwall)13
- easyJet: London–Gatwick, Manchester
- Loganair: Isle of Man, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne
- Ryanair: London–Stansted
A note on carbon
We have not found an official per-journey comparison we can quote, so we give no figures. If lower emissions matter to you, the train is usually the choice where it is practical; your airline may publish its own figures.
Questions
Is it quicker to fly or take the train from London to Edinburgh?
The fastest train National Rail publishes takes 4 hr 20 min, city centre to city centre. A flight is shorter in the air, but you add the journeys to and from both airports and the time at security, so compare door to door for your own trip.
Which airline flies to the Scottish islands?
Wikipedia’s airport tables list Loganair for the scheduled flights to Kirkwall, Sumburgh, Stornoway, Barra, Benbecula, Islay and Tiree, and for the inter-island flights within Orkney. Check Loganair for the timetable.