Pilot Flies 89 Curries 500 Miles From Hampshire to France
A craving for top-notch curry sent pilot James Emery, 31, soaring from the UK to France with a full load of Indian grub. The Bordeaux-based pilot teamed up with Faz Ahmed, manager of The Akash Restaurant on Albert Road, to organise a one-off long-distance delivery flight that left curry lovers drooling.
Epic Curry Delivery Takes to the Skies
The mission: 89 meals, 70 sides, 75 portions of rice, 100 poppadoms, and 10 servings of mango chutney carefully packed onto a speedy Socata TBM700 aircraft. Capable of 300mph, the six-seater plane jumped from Solent Airport, Lee-On-The-Solent (formerly HMS Daedalus), to Saucats Airfield just south of Bordeaux.
Once landed, the feast was reheated and served to 89 hungry guests, all craving a taste of authentic British-Indian curry. James, who also works as an aviation English assessor for French trainee pilots, picked his all-time favourite – a fiery Chicken Phall.
Pilot Combines Two Passions: Aviation and Curry
“I’m a chilli addict and an aviation geek, so I thought why not combine my two hobbies and get my favourite curry delivered to me in one,” said Emery. “France has many good things, but a decent curry isn’t one of them. I’ve been suffering withdrawal symptoms!”
He’s no stranger to The Akash, having been a loyal customer for nearly 20 years. “Every visit, I’d moan about the bland Indian food back home in France,” he added. Faz Ahmed, the restaurant manager, revealed that James’ repeated grumbles inspired the epic delivery plan.
The Akash Breaks Delivery Limits
“Our usual delivery radius is three to four miles, so flying 500 miles is a massive stretch,” said Faz. “We’ve never done anything like this before. It’s incredible. And we wanted to keep it affordable so anyone could get involved, not just those with deep pockets.”
For £32, customers got a choice of classics like chicken tikka masala, lamb balti, Bengal naga chicken, or vegetable paneer korai – all paired with sides and naan bread.
Not the First Curry Run to France
This isn’t The Akash’s first long-distance effort to satisfy French ex-pats. Back in 2014, Roy Buchan made the trip by ferry, bringing a load of curry for a special family lunch.
