EASYJET passengers heading to Italy were given an extra special festive surprise by choristers from Hereford as Christmas approached.

The Hereford Cathedral Choir were on their way to Bologna, where they gave the local community a taste of traditional British Christmas carols, when they were caught on film serenading a plane full of passengers.

The video has since been uploaded to Easyjet's Facebook page, where it has been viewed almost 20,000 times, racking up over 10,000 of those views in the first 24 hours.

The trip, organised by the British Embassy in Rome, departed from Hereford on December 8, visiting a number of locations including the Piazza Nettuno, where the choir sang Christmas carols in front of the city’s Christmas tree.

The highlight of the trip was an evening concert in the Church of San Procolo.

The specially-chosen programme featured a wide selection of seasonal music including the famous Herefordshire Carol ‘This is the truth sent from above’ arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams, and other pieces ranging from the sixteenth to the twenty-first century.

The choristers ended their tour at the Red Cross headquarters in Bologna, where they performed energetic arrangements of Winter Wonderland and Jingle Bells.

British Ambassador to Italy, Jill Morris said: "Our friends in the region of Emilia Romagna were able to enjoy one of our most special and significant Christmas traditions, the Christmas carols, with one of our very best choirs.

"The carols in Bologna truly marked a perfect start to Christmas celebrations for hundreds of Italian and international friends.”

Video: Easyjet