Well done that man and his crew!
If I was the owner of an airline, I'd be making a beeline for his LinkedIn account faster than you can say 'DFO'. We need real people with real skills in the cockpit, who can use their vast experience and skills to perform out of the ordinary when called for. This guy certainly know his aeroplane, and used a once-in-a-lifetime chance to send his airline off in style.
And I will bet you all the tea in China, the passengers in the back was loving it as much as the crew up front. As for the LBA, quite possibly one of the most inept, arrogant and in-bread regulators in the civilised world, they can go stuff themselves.
Well done, well done indeed!