Hundreds of people at London Luton Airport were treated to a spectacular festive surprise, as they witnessed the world’s first Christmas light show to feature a 120ft aircraft. easyJet provided an A320 Airbus to airport ground staff who created the spectacular festive experience by wrapping the aircraft with Christmas lights. The light show left the audience in awe, as they observed the Christmas light switch-on, as festive projections and lights synced to the sound of a contemporary remix of Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.
Over 850,000 choreographed light sequences and 1.5 miles of LED micro bulbs were used to create the unique light show. The team of ten special effects artists and lighting designers, spent four weeks working to design and create the light show ahead of the big reveal. London Luton Airport and Europe’s leading airline, easyJet, collaborated to bring Christmas cheer to hundreds of airport staff who have been involved in the expansive, three-year redevelopment of the airport, which increases the annual capacity of the airport to 18 million passengers by 2020. The £160 million regeneration project will add £1 billion to the UK economy and an extra 10,000 jobs by 2030. The Christmas light show is part of the airport’s 80th anniversary year celebrations.
Airport ground staff painstakingly covered easyJet’s 5,000sq metre aircraft hangar in Christmas lights and decorations and the team were given just 24 hours to create the festive transformation ahead of a grand reveal to an audience who watched the stunning moment a 120ft aircraft was illuminated in light. Local children from Chantry Primary Academy and Whitefield Primary School were invited to the big unveiling, as 9-year-old Maddy Simonite switched on the lights for the first time. Maddy said: “Switching on the lights made me feel like I started Christmas! I’ve been to see the Oxford Street Christmas lights but this was ten times better!”
Neil Thompson, Operations Director, London Luton Airport remarked: “As we reach the end of our redevelopment – the largest in the airports 80-year history – we wanted to extend a huge thank you to staff and customers and give them a special Christmas gift. Our team were given just 24 hours to dress an entire aircraft hangar and easyJet A320 Airbus plane before guests were treated to a dramatic Christmas lights switch on.” Tina Milton, Director of Cabin Services, easyJet added: “Most people who work in a regular office get to partake in festive decorating, so we laid down the challenge to ground crew to create the most spectacular light show featuring a plane. We were delighted to work with London Luton Airport to help get the festive feeling started amongst our staff and the local community in Luton.”
See the images here: https://www.flickr.com/gp/taylorherringpr/4fF5r9
Watch and download the video here: https://vimeo.com/306415740/2b9a3fa707
Watch and download the making of here: https://vimeo.com/306426320/57a11b2223
James Herring and Sam Corry were the Taylor Herring creative team behind the campaign and the film was produced by the agency’s production arm, St Marks Studios. The projection and lighting design was delivered by lighting effects specialists Projection Artworks, and production managed by Max Gheysens at St Marks Studios.
Earlier this year, Taylor Herring launched a recruitment campaign for easyJet, designed to inspire more girls to become airline pilots. The campaign video set out to challenge gender stereotyping, by reimagining a scene from Hollywood movie Catch Me If You Can, in which Leonardo DiCaprio impersonates a pilot.
