Tag: aurora

easyJet partners with Aerobility to offer special flight to experience Northern Lights

easyJet, the UK-based European regional airline, has said that it is partnering with disabled flying charity Aerobility to host an exclusive ‘Aurora Flight’, providing passengers the opportunity to experience the splendour of the Northern Lights at 30,000 feet.

The flight will be the first Northern Lights experience that the airline and charity have operated since the pandemic. The airline has previously enabled hundreds of passengers to enjoy amazing views of the ‘Aurora Borealis’ from the sky over the past 8 years.

The ‘Aurora’ flight from London Gatwick will be operated on February 18, 2023, and includes a two-course meal at Gatwick Sofitel Hotel, pre-departure presentations and inflight commentary from special guests including Sky at Night presenter Pete Lawrence and Aurora experts from the British Antarctic Survey, as well as entertainment and refreshments onboard.

Mike Miller Smith, CEO at the charity said: ‘We exist to change lives by providing anyone, with any disability with access to the magic and wonder of flight. We do this because taking the controls of an aircraft drives a focus on capability and encourages our flyers to ask the question ‘If I can fly an aeroplane, what else can I do?’

‘This makes everything else in life feel that little bit more achievable, whilst offering the ultimate feeling of freedom and escape from restrictions of disability.’

‘The Aurora Flight with easyJet means so much to Aerobility and those we look after. Not only does it provide a life-changing experience on the night, but it also funds many more life-changing flights at Aerobility, of course with our aircraft being just slightly smaller. We can’t thank everyone at easyJet and all the other companies that make the Aurora Flight possible enough.’

easyJet’s Captain Chris Foster, Aurora flight pilot, said: ‘We are incredibly proud to be able to offer this special Northern Lights flight once again and it is an honour to support Aerobility and the wonderful work they do. I would encourage anyone to book what is sure to be a fantastic flight that not only offers a unique experience but also contributes to a very worthwhile cause.’

Tickets can be booked £349 per person, with discounted rates available for disabled flyers, carers and children. The funds raised from the Aurora Flight will support disabled flying at Aerobility.

Omega Breaks offers night flight for Northern Lights seekers

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.