A pilot for EasyJet made a stomach-churning 360-degree turn mid-air to give passengers a spectacular glimpse of the aurora borealis, and the results are magnificent!
The flight was traveling from Reykjavik, Iceland to Manchester when the Northern Lights lit up the sky in a rare display.
Passenger Adam Groves told the BBC that the view was "incredible" and that it topped off an amazing four-day trip to Iceland's capital, where he also got engaged to his long-term partner Jasmine.
Groves and his fiancée were on the right-hand side of the plane, meaning they wouldn't have been able to see the beautiful flickering lights had the pilot not made the 360-degree turn in the air.
Funnily enough, Groves and his fiancée had specifically gone to Iceland to see the lights for themselves, but to no avail. "We were hoping to see them while we were out there but we didn't get the chance. We took off and halfway into the flight the pilot turned all the lights off and the view could be seen out the left window. But we were sitting on the right-hand side and after a few minutes the pilot switched back and did a 360 loop around for everyone to see," he told the BBC.
EasyJet themselves even took the opportunity to say the 360-degree turn was no big deal, as they always "go above and beyond" for their customers, saying: "We are pleased that the captain was able to perform a controlled maneuver in order to allow passengers to witness an amazing display from the air of one of nature's greatest sights. Our crew will always go above and beyond for our customers and we're delighted to have been able to share this special view with them."
The magnificent display was a rare occurrence for the UK, as the lights generally appear in regions closer to the Arctic like Scandinavia and North America. However, places like Northern Ireland, South Wales, and Norfolk got the experience of a lifetime when the lights danced around in the sky.
According to the UK's Met Office, the visibility of aurora borealis depends on the weather conditions at the time. "The best conditions to view the lights are when the sky is dark and clear of any clouds [...] Ideally, the lights will be best viewed away from any light pollution, in remote areas, facing the northern horizon - north-facing coasts produce some of the best viewing locations," they revealed, adding that: "The northern lights are most active during the Equinox and Solstice in March/April and September/October."
A spokesperson for the Met Office explained to The Evening Standard this week that Brits most likely won't get the chance to see the spectacular light display again any time soon, given the cloudy conditions. "Over the last few nights, the northern lights have been a spectacular event over parts of the UK, even including spots in southern England. The levels of solar activity are now reducing and this combined with increasingly cloudy skies mean that the chances of a sighting are now severely limited."
Did you manage to get a glimpse of the Northern Lights? Or is it still on your bucket list? Let us know in the comments!
