easyJet’s charity flight to see the Northern Lights raises a record £25,000 for Aerobility
- The special Aurora charity flight took off on Saturday 18th February where passengers experienced the Northern Lights at 30,000 feet, hosted by BBC Sky at Night presenter Pete Lawrence
- £25,000 was raised in a record fundraiser of its kind, for charity Aerobility, whose mission is to provide anyone living with any disability access to the magic of flight
London, UK, 2023-Feb-26 — /Travel PR News/ — easyJet has once again partnered with charity Aerobility to host a unique ‘Aurora Flight’, which took off from London Gatwick Airport last Saturday 18th February, enabling passengers to experience the magic of the Northern Lights at 30,000 feet, all in support of a fantastic cause.
Returning for the first time since before the pandemic, easyJet’s Aurora flight has raised a record £25,000 for Aerobility, which changes lives by providing anyone living with any disability access to flying and the charity is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
Before departure, guests heard from Aurora experts including Astronomer and BBC Sky at Night presenter Pete Lawrence, who also provided an inflight commentary for the 112 passengers onboard to identify star constellations and the colours of the Aurora Borealis while in flight, along with live music onboard by Steve Young.
The special flight, operated by Captain Chris Wade and First Officer Hannah Wells alongside cabin crew Pierina Borrotzu, Thiago Beretta, Kat Voss and Louise McCann-Sewell took off on Saturday evening and headed towards 61 degrees north, just south of the Faroe Islands where the phenomenon of the Northern Lights was sighted.
Mike Miller-Smith, CEO at Aerobility, said:
“This year, Aerobility is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Since our beginnings in 1993, we have delivered over 10,000 flights and we have changed the lives of 1000’s of aspiring aviators. This has only been possible because of supporters like easyJet and we’re very much looking forward to delivering the next 10,000 flights with their continued support. Thank you easyJet, we couldn’t do it without you.’
Marcus O’Shea, Head of Fundraising, Marketing and Communications at Aerobility commented:
“Thanks to support from easyJet, the Aurora Flight is one of the highlights of our calendar, not only does it generate funds in support of disabled aviation but it delivers the magic and wonder of seeing the Northern Lights from the sky, a truly unforgettable experience for everyone.”
Captain Chris Foster, easyJet Senior Captain commented:
“It has been a real privilege for easyJet to operate this fantastic flight once again and with favourable flying and meteorological conditions, we were incredibly pleased that guests were able to enjoy a glimpse of the captivating Aurora Borealis from the air.
“We’d also like to thank the world class guest speakers and entertainers who give their support once again to make this flight a truly memorable experience.
“We’re very proud have helped raise a record £25,000, which will help Aerobility in their mission to enable everyone to experience the wonder of flight.”
For more information about Aerobility, please visit aerobility.com
About easyJet
easyJet is Europe’s leading airline offering a unique and winning combination of the best route network connecting Europe’s primary airports, with great value fares and friendly service.
easyJet flies on more of Europe’s most popular routes than any other airline and carried more than 69 million passengers in 2022 – with 9.5 million travelling for business. The airline has over 300 aircraft on nearly 1000 routes to more than 150 airports across 35 countries. Over 300 million Europeans live within one hour’s drive of an easyJet airport.
easyJet aims to be a good corporate citizen, employing people on local contracts in eight countries across Europe in full compliance with national laws and recognising their trade unions. The airline supports several local charities and has a corporate partnership with UNICEF which has raised over £16m for the most vulnerable children since it was established in 2012.
The airline joined the UN-backed Race to Zero in November 2021 and has published its roadmap to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, with a focus on new technology and the ultimate ambition to achieve zero carbon emission flying across its entire fleet, which the airline is working on together with its partners including Airbus, Rolls-Royce, GKN Aerospace, Cranfield Aerospace Solutions and Wright Electric. The roadmap also features a combination of fleet renewal, operational efficiencies, airspace modernisation, Sustainable Aviation Fuel and carbon removal technology. Additionally, it includes an interim carbon emissions intensity reduction target of 35% by 2035 (versus 2019). Since 2000, the airline has already reduced its carbon emissions per passenger, per kilometre by one-third through continued fleet renewal, efficient operations and aiming to fill most of its seats.
Innovation is in easyJet’s DNA – since launching over 25 years ago, easyJet changed the way people fly to the present day where the airline leads the industry in digital, web, engineering and operational innovations to make travel more easy and affordable for its passengers.
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Source: easyJet
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