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EasyJet pilot does 360 turn mid-air so passengers can see rare Northern Lights
‘The pilot switched back and did a 360 loop around for everyone to see’
An EasyJet pilot flying passengers from Iceland to Manchester Airport turned the aircraft 360 mid-flight so travellers could witness the Northern Lights.
The flight was returning to Manchester Airport from Reykjavik, Iceland last night, Monday February 27th. As reported in the Manchester Evening News, photographer Adam Groves who was returning from an engagement holiday away said: “We had been half expecting them as the aurora forecast was high, but low cloud cover in Iceland over the past week meant we didn’t see them from land.
“We were hoping to see them while we were out there but didn’t get the chance. We took off and half way into the flight the pilot turned all the lights off and the view was out the left window.
“We were sat on the right hand side and after two to three minutes the pilot switched back and did a 360 loop around for everyone to see.”
The aircraft’s flight path was recorded by FlightRadar showing the route it took over the ocean and the exact spot where it made the loop for customers to enjoy the rare sight — also witnessed by many across the UK the previous evening on Sunday.
The news follows an announcement from the Met Office, alerting Britons of the best places to see the natural phenomenon on Monday evening, with Northern England in with a chance due to possible ‘transitory cloud breaks’.
Northern Scotland was the best place to catch the dazzling display overnight, as cloudy skies unfortunately prevented some keen sky watchers across the UK from catching a second glimpse.
The head of space weather at the Met Office, Mark Gibbs, earlier said they were ‘optimistic to expect clear sightings two nights in a row’, adding: “[Sunday’s] sighting saw the coincidence of perfect conditions, making the aurora visible on the north horizon in the south of England.”
Also known as Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights are usually best seen in high latitude regions closer to the Arctic, such as Scandinavia. The colourful light effect happens when electrons and protons collide with gases in the Earth’s upper atmosphere, causing tiny flashes of colourful light to fill the sky.