Omega Breaks, the UK-based tour operator, has announced plans to offer its night flight service from Cardiff again in March 2019, enabling stargazers to sight the Aurora Borealis.
The plan follows the success of an inaugural trip in March, and the next night flight in search of the Northern Lights will take off on Friday March 8, 2019. The trip offers customers an opportunity to take to the skies on board an aircraft to seek out the Northern Lights, the colourful dancing lights resulting from the ionization of solar particles entering the earth’s magnetic field at high atmosphere.
Deb Barber, Chief Executive Officer of Cardiff Airport, said: ‘Our customers will really enjoy the opportunity to take off from Cardiff and discover one of the world’s most amazing natural phenomenons from the sky. This was such a unique and popular addition to our schedule back in the spring, so it’s great to see the return of the Northern Lights experience with Omega Breaks in 2019.’
Peter Truman, Astronomy Consultant at Omega Breaks, added: ‘These unique flights, which have been operating for 20 years, really offer an excellent opportunity to see the Northern Lights.
‘We are above the main obstacle, cloud cover, and also have a much wider overall view of the Auroral Oval from around 36000ft above sea level, than you do at ground level.’
The Omega Break experience will begin at Cardiff Airport with a presentation in the terminal from guest astronomer Pete Lawrence, presenter of the BBC’s Sky at Night programme. He will be joined by Nigel Bradbury, a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and an active amateur astronomer for over 40 years. Seeking out the best views of the Northern Lights, the three and a quarter hour-long flight will take off from Cardiff in the darkest hours of the night, with on-board commentary by the two expert astronomers. Bookings can be done at the Omega Breaks website.
