easyJet passengers flying to Iceland from Manchester this morning are set to be amongst a select group people anywhere in the world to have a front row seat of one the most spectacular natural phenomenon’s – a total solar eclipse.
Above: A solar eclipse occurs when the moon’s orbit of Earth positions it directly in between us and the sun, causing the moon to temporarily block out some of the sun’s light – Source: Vox.com
Only visible from two places on earth, the remote Faroe Islands and Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, the total eclipse occurs when the moon fully covers the sun resulting in a complete blackout.
Flight EZY 1805 departing Manchester at 07:45 will pass almost directly over the Faroe Islands at the right time, giving passengers one of the closest and unobstructed views of a total eclipse anywhere in the world.
The rest of the UK will only get to view a partial eclipse and even then, with the Met office predicting cloud across the country on Friday, the chances of seeing anything at all could be remote.
Speaking on the event, Ali Gayward, Commercial Manager for Iceland, said:
“It’s great that easyJet passengers from Manchester will be in the right place at the right time on Friday and are set to be rewarded the best view anywhere in the world from 37,000 feet.
“We would encourage passengers to bring eclipse viewing specs with them and keep their window blinds open for the safest but most spectacular way to view it.”
easyJet operates 28 times a week to Reykjavik from eight airports across Europe and carries in excess of 200,000 passengers per year to and from Reykjavik. Tourism in Iceland has increased by 40% over the last two years, helped by the introduction of affordable flights.
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