Southern Lights stun passengers on world-first Aurora Australis flight

Passengers were left awestruck by the Southern Lights on the world's first commercial flight to view the Aurora Australis.

The eight-hour Boeing 767 flight took off from New Zealand on Thursday night and travelled towards the South Pole, flying to 62 degrees latitude and passing through the aurora several times.

Passenger Roz Charlton wrote on Facebook: "Our lives are forever altered by this incredible experience and we are eternally grateful to have been a part of this remarkable event."

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Expedition leader Dr Ian Griffin told the BBC that thanks to some careful planning and flying, the "awesome" flight had ensured "a spectacular display" for everyone on board – the sold-out flight was deliberately half-empty so everybody could see out of the windows.

He added: "Nobody has ever really done that before. This was a world first. People have done it in the northern hemisphere.

"The aurora doesn't just appear in specific locations, it can move around a bit, and we were trying to chase it across the Southern Ocean, which was quite fun."

He added: "We've travelled two-thirds of the way to the South Pole, seen an incredible display of the southern lights, got lovely pictures and were home in time for breakfast."