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TRAVELLER
PHOTOS GETTY, ALAMY
Out of all our 619 routes, Manchester to SharmEl Sheikh is the one that tops the list of
pilots’ favourites. Here, two of them talk us through the highlights of the journey
Views fromthe cockpit
DURINGOUR FLIGHT
to Sharm, we
will travel 4,113 nautical km; so, at an
average speed of 857kmph, it will take us
approximately five hours. To achieve this,
we will burn a total of about 12 tonnes of
fuel – the equivalent weight of 12 Minis!
Leaving Manchester (1), we climb out
over the Cheshire Plain. As we pass over
Altrincham, then we turn southwards
over the 58kmManchester Ship Canal,
which terminates in the City of Salford,
close to the Old Trafford football ground.
Soon after this, you may notice that
we are heading out over east London
as we follow the course of the Thames
Estuary, past the newOlympic Stadium
at Stratford (2), CanaryWharf and the
Thames Flood Barrier.
Leaving England across the English
Channel, the next city we fly over is
Brussels (3), which has been a centre of
international politics sinceWorldWar I,
hosting the EU and the headquarters of
NATO. It’s not long before the snow-
topped Swiss Alps loom into view (4).
It doesn’t matter how often we fly over
these beautiful and dramatic mountains,
we never tire of seeing them.
Approximately 1:40 into the flight,
if you look out of the right-hand window,
you’ll catch the first glimpse of Venice (5),
the city fromwhich the humorist Robert
Benchley wired a friend: “Streets flooded.
Please advise.” Continuing south, down
the Adriatic, the Dalmatian coast (6) is
on the left. This is a beautiful part of the
world. The coast is lined with isolated
bays, coves and tiny islands surrounded
by a pristine sea. Every time you see it, it
makes you want to visit.
2
3
4
5
6
1
Captain
JoeMartin
hasbeen
flyingsince
hewas 16.He
loveshis job
– a“childhood
dream”–as
it isboth
rewardingand
sometimes
challenging.
CaptainPaul
Elsworth
,
our
Mancunian-
born Pilot of
the Year, has
beenwith us
for 12 years.
He says he
never gets
“tired of
looking out of
thewindow”.
Meet the pilots
START