Pilot circles plane so passengers can see northern lights

A couple flying back to the UK got the ride of a lifetime after the pilot decided to circle the plane back around mid-flight so passengers could catch a dazzling glimpse of the northern lights.

British native Adam Groves and his fiancee Jasmine Mapp were flying back to Manchester after an incredible four-night trip in Iceland that saw Mapp accept Groves’ marriage proposal. 

The two had spent their entire trip unsuccessfully chasing the aurora borealis, they told BBC.

While on a EasyJet flight home the natural spectacle lit up the night sky — but was only visible to those sitting on the left side of the plane, opposite of Groves and Mapp.

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

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

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

The two said it was the “perfect ending” to the life-changing trip following their engagement at a beautiful natural outlook on Iceland’s rugged southern coast.

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“After days of jumping in the car at any opportunity to try and find the northern lights without spotting them, finally getting to see them in the sky was the perfect ending to a very special trip,” Mapp told the BBC.

An EasyJet spokeswoman said it was happy that the pilot was “able to perform a controlled maneuver” so the passengers could get a view “of one of nature’s greatest sights.”