With the weather playing such an important part in clearly viewing the spectacle, Air Charter Service, an aircraft charter consultancy, looked into finding prime observation spots along the path of totality.
Air Charter Service successfully helped almost 100 people experience the solar eclipse's path of totality in Valladolid, Spain this week on a specially chartered flight to the Spanish city from the UK.
Whilst the UK experienced a partial eclipse, between 90 and 94 per cent cover of the sun, committed eclipse watchers wished to get to somewhere where they could experience 100 per cent, on the path of totality, to get the full effect. The path ran through parts of Greenland, Iceland and then Spain, where the sun set, giving a small window in which to witness it. Clear enough skies were also a consideration for astronomy enthusiasts, so weather forecasts were closely monitored over the couple of weeks that led up to the eclipse.
With the weather playing such an important part in clearly viewing the spectacle, Air Charter Service, an aircraft charter consultancy, looked into finding prime observation spots along the path of totality. When these were chosen, it arranged the charter of an Embraer 190 aircraft, with three possible landing options, to ensure everyone on the flight would be able to get the best view of the phenomenon. Taking off from London Stansted, the company lined up flying into either Keflavik in Iceland, Valladolid on mainland Spain or Palma, Mallorca. With the weather for all three looking clear, the decision was made to use Valladolid on the Friday before the eclipse. The passengers weren't disappointed, with fantastic views along with thousands of Spanish people, who were eager to experience the first total solar eclipse visible in the country since 1905.
Matthew Purton, group aviation services director at ACS, says: “We booked the day return flight more than a year ago, knowing that we would be able to help eclipse-chasers, astronomy enthusiasts and photographers get the best view of the first total solar eclipse in continental Europe since 2006.
“We also chartered private jets into Zaragoza in Spain and Palma for other clients, from as far away as the US, eager to see the phenomenon. We have a long history of chartering aircraft for eclipse-chasers, with one of the most recent examples in 2024, when the path of totality passed through Canada, several US states and Mexico. We arranged a number of charters then, including one to view the spectacle at Niagara Falls and one for an entire wedding party flying to Ohio to view the eclipse on the day of the wedding.
“We are now looking ahead to next year and what many are dubbing 'The Eclipse of the Century', due to the length of totality (up to six and a half minutes), which will take place on August 2, 2027. We have locations lined up for flights to more than one destination along the path of totality and, with some hotels for that week in these places already fully booked, a day trip on a chartered aircraft will make for an ideal way to see it. We have a webpage where you can register your interest to be kept up to date with our plans for next year.”
Air Charter Service, a global aircraft charter broker with 43 offices worldwide, spanning all six major continents, offers private jet, commercial airliner and cargo aircraft charters, as well as onboard courier solutions. It arranges more than 35,000 flights annually with revenue of more than one billion dollars for the past six years. Formed in 1990 by Chris and Tina Leach in the basement of their house, it now employs more than 800 staff worldwide.
