Red Wings Airline organised a non-stop flight on the route Moscow-Murmansk-Arkhangelsk-Moscow in business class on SSJ100 aircraft (RA-89007) to observe the northern lights. The air carrier reported about it in its Telegram channel.
On the night from 7 to 8 December, the Superjet with 52 passengers on board left for Murmansk to give them the opportunity to observe and capture this natural phenomenon right from the plane, at an altitude of 10,000 metres. As one of the passengers said, under the wing – Murmansk, above the wing – aurora (aurora borealis – northern lights).
During the flight, Alexander Chernyshev, Associate Professor of the Space Physics Department of the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, spoke about the origin and properties of the northern polar lights. The fascinating lecture gave the flight participants an opportunity to better understand this natural phenomenon, why it is available for observation in northern and southern latitudes, to learn how to determine the probability of its occurrence.
According to an interlocutor of the Russian Aviation website, the plane made several circles in the sky near Murmansk so that each passenger could fully enjoy the unforgettable and especially grandiose spectacle of the northern lights at an altitude of 10 kilometres. “It seemed so close that it was reminiscent of Stephen King’s plot from ‘The Langoliers’ as the aircraft flew through a rift in time space,” he commented on his sensations. The SSJ100 then crossed the Kola Peninsula from north-west to south-east, turned over Arkhangelsk and returned to Vnukovo, our interlocutor added by phone.
The airline’s press service said that this air excursion was the first step of a new project from Red Wings. “We are committed to providing our passengers with unique and unforgettable opportunities, and the next destination could be even more exciting. Our flight can be booked by any person or company and go anywhere on the route of their choice,” Red Wings said.
