World cities at night: UAE-based Boeing 777 pilot shares aerial pictures of city lights from across the world

Gulf News reader and UAE-based B-777 pilot, Rico S, has a passion not just for flying, but also for photography. It was this passion that motivated him to share a series of images of city lights at night, as seen from 30,000 feet above the ground, on Instagram. Here's a photograph of UAE's capital, Abu Dhabi.

The 34-year-old pilot said: "I have put this series together over the last two years. As a pilot, I am fortunate to be able to see views of the world that many are unable to." Here is a picture taken as the plane flew over Damman in Saudi Arabia.

The English-Caribbean national added: "All these images have been taken during non-critical phases of the flights, and periods of low workload for both pilots or sometimes the third, and the fourth pilot in the cockpit, safety was never compromised." Here's a photograph taken over Seoul in South Korea in February 2020.

Rico added: "It is a series I hope to develop over time, to have a vast collection of images of major, medium and small cities down to villages. But, the issue of weather plays a big factor in this as many times we fly over cities and they are covered by clouds." Here's a picture of Wuhan in China.

This aerial picture of the city of Lille in northern France shows clouds over the city.

This shot was taken over Muscat, Oman in January 2020. The pilot added: "My plan is to continue shooting everything the world has to offer from cities to wildlife, to candid street photography as well as aviation."

This photograph shows the capital and largest city of Romania, Bucharest. Rico also said: "I would love to share what I get to see, with those who are not as fortunate as me for many different reasons like time, mobility, finances, etc."

This picture shows Birmingham, the second-largest city in the United Kingdom. Rico said: "My goal is to shoot more cities in Africa and South America at some point, but that will be roster and weather dependent."

City lights in Baltimore, a major city in Maryland, US, with a long history as an important seaport.

This is how Budapest, the capital and the most populous city of Hungary looks at night from the sky. It is bisected by the River Danube.