Air New Zealand , which normally transports passengers from their departure point to their destination, made headlines when it decided to take an unusual flight. The plane departed from Christchurch, and its destination was the Southern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, just outside the window.
The aurora can be seen with the naked eye from Stewart Island and other places such as Queenstown, but this plane ride is a special aurora flight that actually flies through the aurora.
Aurora viewing flights are back
This aurora observation flight was also held in 2017 and 2018. Dr. Ian Griffin, director of the Otago Art Museum in Otago, at the southern tip of the South Island, and an astronomer, planned a sightseeing flight to see the Antarctic Aurora. The plane flew over the Antarctic Ocean (the ocean surrounding the Antarctic continent), where it is said that the Aurora shines most brightly and beautifully, and passengers enjoyed observing the Aurora from the plane.
Currently, New Zealand's travel industry has been hit hard by the impact of closing its borders and prohibiting entry to anyone other than those with nationality and permanent residency, or those with special permission from the government. Therefore, in order to stimulate tourism within the country, it was decided to revive the aurora observation flights that were held in 2017 and 2018. Many Kiwis enjoyed the aurora flight for 10 hours.
Green Aurora
The project resumed this time, with Dr. Griffin once again in charge of the aurora observation project, and other professionals such as astronomers, photographers, and the director of the Antarctic Academy also participated. Dr. Griffin and photographer Stephen Boss took continuous high-resolution photos and communicated with the pilots to support their flight through the aurora.
Dr. Griffin said,
I have been on eight aurora observation flights so far, and this one was the most beautiful. It felt like I was flying through an aurora storm.
He said.
Passengers took turns watching the aurora from their window seats, enjoying the sight of the whitish green lights swaying around the plane. The strong, bright green color of the aurora, as seen in the video above, cannot be seen with the naked eye, so a high-performance camera was required, but some passengers were able to capture the vivid green lights on their smartphone cameras.
While some passengers may have been disappointed that they couldn't see the vibrant green color with the naked eye, the view from the window was simply otherworldly.
said Dr. Griffin.
Flights to Antarctica are considered domestic flights
The aurora flight was originally scheduled to fly over the coast of Antarctica, but due to the influence of the Earth's magnetic field, the plane was directed further north to a spot where the aurora is most visible. The aurora was visible for six hours.
There were four pilots on board the plane. One of them was Al Hanley.
It was great to be able to give our passengers a special experience, and it was nice during this pandemic to not have to take a 10-hour flight and then have to quarantine for two weeks when they get back.
He commented.
Currently, anyone entering New Zealand from overseas is required to undergo two weeks of hotel quarantine, but this flight to Antarctica will be treated as a domestic flight.
This flight was also special in that the pilots were allowed to turn off the plane's exterior lights, as in previous flights the lights had interfered with the visibility of the aurora. The pilots also tilted the plane left and right to allow passengers to enjoy the best view of the aurora.
This flight to Aurora is planned to return this May.
