The pilot showed the passengers an incredible view of the northern lights! There were no such shots
As it flew over the northern tip of the UK, an easyJet flight made a 360-degree turn to allow passengers to see a ‘amazing display’ of the northern lights.
Passengers on flight U21806 from Reykjavik, Iceland, to Manchester Airport on Monday evening were able to photograph the celestial spectacle after the pilot decided to perform the circular turn.
According to flight tracking website Flightradar24.com, the controlled detour to the west of the Faroe Islands took just under 10 minutes and occurred shortly after 8.30pm, while the Airbus A320 was flying at an altitude of 37,000ft (11,000m) and at a little less than 500mph.
One lucky couple, who had just got engaged in Iceland but were unable to witness the northern lights on the ground, snapped an incredible picture of the phenomenon from their plane window.
Adam Groves, a 27-year-old recruitment company owner from Lymm, Cheshire, booked a flight to Reykjavik to propose to his partner Jasmine Mapp, also a 27-year-old working in digital marketing, under the northern lights.
Due to cloud cover, the couple was unable to see the aurora during their vacation.
Mr Groves, on the other hand, said that seeing the spectacle on their flight home on Monday evening was’special’ after his successful proposal on a cliff on the Icelandic coast.
‘It was special because I went to Iceland with the intention of proposing to my girlfriend under the northern lights, so seeing it on our flight home was a huge surprise,’ Mr Groves told the PA news agency.
‘We were in Iceland for four nights and didn’t get to see the northern lights because of clouds.
‘On our flight home, the pilot told us that if we can see the lights, he’ll do a turn to allow us to see it,’ Mr Groves explained.
‘Around half an hour into our flight, the pilot dimmed the lights and we saw the (northern) lights.
‘At first, only passengers on the plane’s left side could see them, but we were on the opposite side.
‘The pilot turned the plane around so passengers on the right could see them as well.’
A spokesperson from easyJet told PA: ‘We are pleased that the captain on our flight from Reykjavik to Manchester yesterday evening was able to perform a controlled manoeuvre in order to allow passengers to witness an amazing display from the air of one of nature’s greatest sights, the aurora borealis.
‘Our crew will always go above and beyond for our customers, and we’re thrilled to have had the opportunity to share this special view of the northern lights with them.’
EasyJet passengers’ photos of the northern lights, which show hues of green and pink lighting up the night sky, have gone viral on social media.
