Pilot circles plane to give passengers glimpse of Northern Lights on easyJet flight to Manchester

An airline pilot turned full circle over the ocean to give all passengers a chance to see a spectacular natural light show.

One of those on board the flight from Reykjavik captured one of the plane's wings surrounded by the stunning colours of the Northern Lights.

Adam Groves, from Manchester, was returning from Iceland on Monday night, 27 February, when the spectacle happened.

He said: "We took off and half way into the flight the pilot turned all the lights off and the view was out the left window.

"We were sat on the right hand side and after two to three minutes the pilot switched back and did a 360 loop around for everyone to see."

The Met Office had alerted Britons of the best places to see the aurora borealis on Monday, with northern areas of England in with a chance due to the higher likeliness of "transitory cloud breaks".

Mr Groves, who had proposed to his fiancée, said he had been hoping to see the lights from land while on holiday but did not get chance because of cloud cover.

Pictures taken on board the Easyjet flight show excited passengers peering out of the window.

The flight path was also recorded by FlightRadar, showing the route over the ocean, and the exact spot where the plane looped in the air.

Northern Lights occur as a direct result of solar activity colliding with the Earth's atmosphere.

According to the Met Office, the best weather conditions to see the Lights are when the 'sky is dark and clear of any clouds'.

They are most active during the Equinox and Solstice in March/April and September/October.

Posting his pictures on social media, Mr Groves said it was "an amazing way to top off a special trip."