30: London to Milan (LHR-MXP)
Chosen by Captain Ian Knowles
'This flight offers one of the best views on the short-haul network. Although you don't fly over the top of Paris, you get the whole of the city laid out for you on the left-hand side of the aircraft. Further down towards Italy, you fly over Geneva and, on a really good day, you can see the Jet d'Eau. Then onto Mont Blanc and the Alps; this route covers the highest ground BA pilots fly across in Europe, which makes it particularly challenging. You pass over Mont Blanc at an altitude of 35,000-37,000ft. Navigating through the Alps you see incredible snow-covered peaks. Looking down from that height you can see valleys, villages and the larger ski resorts. Then you reach Milan, with the Alps as a backdrop when you land.'
29: Mumbai to Hong Kong (BOM-HKG)
Chosen by Captain Paul Heaver
'As you fly across northern India, approaching Kolkata, you catch a glimpse of the eastern Himalayas. Then it's over Kolkata and the Ganges Delta, which is spectacular in terms of its size and volume of water. As the aircraft descends towards Hong Kong, the route follows the mouth of the Pearl River. The approach at the old Kai Tak airport was challenging but offered passengers close-up views of local apartments.'
28: London to Nairobi (LHR-NBO)
Chosen by senior first officer Ian Gale
'The most remarkable view on the flight route from London to Nairobi is that of the Great Rift Valley. It is full of astonishing calderas, which are large volcanic craters. One in particular, Mount Longonot, is absolutely vast. It rises hundreds of feet above the plain and there is an incredible rainforest that grows within its crater. It looks as if it is taken from a scene in Land of the Lost. There are many lesser caldera surrounding Mount Longonot, which means the scenery as you approach Nairobi from the north is pretty spectacular. Africa tends to have extreme weather which is probably the main difficulty to be negotiated before you make the beautiful descent.'
27 London to Lusaka, Zambia (LHR-LUN)
Chosen by Captain Mubashir Khan
'I remember the first time I took this route — the sun was rising over Mount Kilimanjaro, and it was probably the most beautiful view I've ever seen. But that's the only time I've seen it. I'm always on the lookout but I must get my timings wrong. I remember reading a book about the pioneering aviators of the 1920s and the difficulties they had navigating with rudimentary equipment. So when I was flying over the Sahara desert, I thought of the crews that might have got lost there with only one navigation needle and little knowledge of the landscape.'
26 London to Mexico City (LHR-MEX)
Chosen by senior first officer Mark Wallage
'The journey over the Atlantic is fascinating as there are often interesting cloud formations. Flying into Mexico City, you get a real sense of its vast scale: you can see buildings stretched out for more than 50 miles. Landing in Mexico City can be a challenge because of its elevation and changeable weather, but this makes it even more rewarding.'
Interviews: Ianthe Butt. Missed any previous instalments? Catch up on entries 25-21, 20-16, 15-11, 10-6 and 5-1 which include trips to the Seychelles, Manhattan and Dubrovnik.
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