U.K. businessman pays $79,100 for transatlantic flight aboard Lancaster bomber

Royal Air Force Avro Lancaster B I PA474 of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. (Wikipedia photo)

HAMILTON, Ont. – It’s a bit more than the usual fare for a transatlantic flight.

A 34-year-old U.K. businessman has paid $79,100 to fly on board the Lancaster bomber owned by the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum.

“I am passionate about Second World War history,” Matthew Munson told the Hamilton Spectator from his home in Henley-on-Thames, England. “I will savour every moment.”

The flight was auctioned off on eBay to raise money for the journey that will bring together the world’s only two airworthy Lancasters for a series of air shows in the U.K. this summer, the Spectator reported. The other Lancaster is owned by the Royal Air Force.

The museum’s Lancaster was built at Victory Aircraft in Malton, on the outskirts of Toronto, in July 1945.

Munson will fly on a commercial airliner in July from England to Canada. His flight back on the Lancaster will depart from Hamilton on Aug. 4 with stops in Newfoundland and Labrador, Greenland and Iceland.

The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is located at Hamilton International Airport.