Seeing the Aurora Borealis is a rare, potentially once-in-a-lifetime experience. It’s very much about being in the right place at the right time. Icelandair has come up with a way to dramatically increase the chances of seeing what this amazing natural light show is like on one of its flights, by installing a unique LED ceiling to recreate the effect inside the cabin of a Boeing 757.
The aircraft is known as the Hekla Aurora, and the LED mood lighting system in the ceiling has been customized to show a Northern Lights-style display throughout – a considerable improvement over the usual on or off settings on most flights. Passengers say the effect is subtle, relaxing, and not at all distracting. Onboard Wi-Fi has been set up so photos and videos of the lights can be shared while flying.
Icelandair has made sure the plane’s exterior is equally as striking. AkzoNobel was tasked with painting an ordinary, white 757 in an astonishing new color scheme, inspired by the Northern Lights. Each airbrush artist working on the plane was given nothing more than a photo showing the intended artwork, making the finished result unique.
The Hekla Aurora is part of Iceland’s Mystopover marketing campaign, where transatlantic travelers have the option to stop over in the country for up to seven days at no extra cost. The plane is operating on a variety of different routes over the coming months, and its schedule is listed on Icelandair’s website, so you can try and match up your travel plans.
While it’ll never be a replacement for the real thing, the Hekla Aurora experience will certainly make a regular old flight a lot more interesting than usual.
