Easyjet pilot turns plane around to give passengers better view of northern lights

Pilot performs 360-degree turn during flight from Reykjavik to Manchester

An Easyjet pilot doubled back on themselves during a flight to give passengers a better view of the northern lights.

People across the UK have been treated to a rare display of the aurora borealis over the past two nights, thanks to the combination of a geomagnetic storm and relatively cloudless skies.

Passengers travelling on the Monday evening flight from Reykjavik to Manchester were among those to view the phenomenon – with the pilot performing a 360-degree turn to ensure all passengers could catch a glimpse.

The northern lights were spotted over Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye (@mrmcgrath12/PA)

“On our flight home, the pilot told us that if we are able to see the lights he’ll do a turn to allow us to see it,” said Adam Groves, a 27-year-old recruitment company owner from Lymm, Cheshire, who was returning from a surprise trip during which he proposed to his partner.

“Around half an hour into our flight, the pilot dimmed the lights and we saw the [northern] lights.

“At first, only the passengers on the left-hand side of the plane could see them, but we were sat on the opposite side. The pilot turned the plane around so that passengers sitting on the right could see them too.”

While cloud cover meant that the couple was unable to catch a glimpse of the aurora on their holiday, Mr Groves – who proposed on a clifftop on the Icelandic coast – described seeing the spectacle on their flight home on Monday evening as “special”.

“I went with the intention of proposing to my girlfriend under the northern lights, so seeing it on our flight home was a great surprise,” Mr Groves said.

Adam Groves flew to Iceland for a surprise proposal to his girlfriend (Adam Groves/PA)

The controlled detour to the west of the Faroe Islands took less than 10 minutes and occurred shortly after 8.30pm while the Airbus A320 was flying at an altitude of 37,000ft and at a little under 500mph, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24.com.

An Easyjet spokesperson said: “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 delighted to have been able to share this special view of the Northern Lights with them.”

Additional reporting by PA