A pilot circles the plane so passengers can see the Northern Lights

News

By Patrick Reilly

March 1, 2023 | 7:19

A couple returning to the UK had the ride of their lives after the pilot decided to circle the plane mid-flight so passengers could get a dazzling glimpse of the Northern Lights.

Briton Adam Groves and his fiancée Jasmine Mapp were returning to Manchester after an incredible four-night trip to Iceland which saw Mapp accept Groves’ marriage proposal.

The pair had spent their entire trip unsuccessfully chasing the Northern Lights, they told the BBC.

On an EasyJet return flight, the natural spectacle lit up the night sky – but was only visible to those seated on the left side of the plane, facing Groves and Mapp.

The pair would have missed the ‘incredible’ site if it weren’t for the ‘very kind’ pilot who offered to walk the plane 360 ​​degrees so everyone on board could see the lights, which have been visible over parts of the UK this week, the BBC reported.

“We were hoping to see them while we were there, but we didn’t get the chance,” Groves told the outlet.

“We took off and halfway through the flight the pilot turned off all the lights and the view could be seen out the left window,” he continued. “But we were sitting on the right side and after a few minutes the pilot came back and did a 360 degree loop for everyone to see.”

The two said it was the “perfect end” to the life-changing trip after they embarked on a beautiful natural sight on Iceland’s rugged south coast.

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“After days of jumping in the car at every opportunity trying to find the Northern Lights without spotting them, finally seeing them in the sky was the perfect end to a very special journey,” Mapp told the BBC.

An EasyJet spokeswoman said she was glad the pilot was “able to perform a controlled manoeuvre” so passengers could get a view of “one of nature’s greatest sights”.