A pilot aboard an EasyJet plane did a 360-degree midflight turn at 37,000-ft, to give the plane passengers a rare view of the amazing Northern Lights spectacle. For the unversed, The Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, is a natural light phenomenon, that paints the night sky with a breathtaking array of colors and shapes in the night sky, including shades of green, pink, and purple.

Earlier this week, an EasyJet flight made an impromptu turn over the Northern tip of the UK, allowing passengers to watch an awe-striking view of the Northern Lights on Monday evening. Flight U21806 from Reykjavik to Manchester circled west of the Faroe Islands to give passengers a glimpse of the aurora borealis. Passengers were able to take pictures of the celestial spectacle after the pilot decided to perform the circular turn while flying at an altitude of 37,000 ft and at a little under 500mph.

The evening was one to remember for Adam Groves, who had just proposed to his partner Jasmine Mapp under the Northern Lights, but was unable to see them due to cloud cover, was thrilled to see the lights on their flight home. He added that it was a “great surprise”.

A spokesperson from EasyJet expressed their delight at being able to share the view of the Northern Lights with the passengers.

Contents hide
1. The Facts of the Matter
2. Pilot Makes Detour for Breathtaking Sight
3. Couple Sees Once-in-a-Lifetime Sight
4. Detour Happened at 37k ft Midair

The Facts of the Matter

For centuries, humans have been fascinated by the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis. This breathtaking natural phenomenon is caused by charged particles from the sun colliding with gases in Earth’s atmosphere, that paints the sky in vivid shades of pinks, greens and blues. The lights are often associated with mythology and folklore, and have been interpreted as everything from the spirits of ancestors to the gods themselves.

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Pilot Makes Detour for Breathtaking Sight

While centuries have passed, and humans have moved from sticks and stones, to smartphones, they still continue to look at the sky when the natural phenomenon strikes. Recently, an EasyJet Pilot flying the Reykjavik to Manchester flight, gave his passengers a chance to catch the awe-inspiring sight.

Passengers on a flight from Reykjavik to Manchester were treated to a breathtaking view of the northern lights after the pilot made a controlled detour west of the Faroe Islands.

The spectacular sight was captured by many passengers on board, including one lucky couple who had just gotten engaged in Iceland but missed the aurora due to cloud cover.

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Couple Sees Once-in-a-Lifetime Sight

Adam Groves and Jasmine Mapp, both 27 years old, were on holiday in Iceland when Adam proposed to Jasmine under the northern lights, which they were unable to witness due to unfavorable weather conditions. However, on their return flight, the pilot announced that they would make a turn to allow passengers to see the aurora from the air.

“We took off and halfway 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,” Adam was quoted in Independent UK report saying.

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Detour Happened at 37k ft Midair

A spokesperson for easyJet, the airline operating the flight, said they were pleased that the captain was able to make the maneuver to give passengers the chance to see “one of nature’s greatest sights.”

According to flight tracking website Flightradar24.com, the Airbus A320 was flying at an altitude of 37,000 ft and at a speed of just under 500mph during the detour that lasted less than 10 minutes.

 

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