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Norse Atlantic Airways has lived as much as its billing as ‘The Explorer’s Airline’ – by touchdown a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Antarctica.
The airline claims that this can be a world first – ‘a groundbreaking milestone in aviation historical past’.
With Antarctica missing standard paved runways, the plane as a substitute landed on a glacial ‘blue ice runway’ 3,000 metres (9,842ft) lengthy and 60 metres (196ft) broad at Troll Airfield, the place the common temperature is -25C. It is the most important plane ever to land at this airstrip.
On board the airplane, known as Everglades, had been 45 passengers, together with scientists from the Norwegian Polar Institute and different international locations.
They had been destined for various stations in Antarctica, together with the Norwegian Polar Institute’s Troll analysis station.
Norse Atlantic Airways has lived as much as its billing as ‘The Explorer’s Airline’ – by touchdown a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Antarctica
The flight additionally transported 12 tons of important analysis tools essential for Antarctic exploration.
The Dreamliner, contracted by the Norwegian Polar Institute and air dealer agency Aircontact, started its journey in Oslo on November 13, stopping in Cape City earlier than embarking on the ‘difficult’ Antarctic leg.
The 787 touched down at 2am native time on Wednesday at Troll Airfield, positioned in Jutulsessen in Queen Maud Land.
The airstrip, operated by the Norwegian Polar Institute, lies 6.8 kilometres (4.2 miles) from the Troll analysis station, round 235km (146 miles) from the coast.
Ice-olated: With Antarctica missing standard paved runways, the plane as a substitute landed on a glacial ‘blue ice runway’ 3,000 metres (9,842ft) lengthy and 60 metres (196ft) broad at Troll Airfield
The problem for pilots touchdown at Troll Airfield is that there is no such thing as a radio navigation system to information the plane – and no buildings on the airfield to assist gauge velocity and orientation.
Bjørn Tore Larsen, CEO of Norse Atlantic Airways, expressed immense delight within the achievement.
He mentioned: ‘Within the spirit of exploration, we’re proud to have a hand on this essential and distinctive mission. It’s a true testomony to our extremely educated and expert pilots and crew, and our state-of-the-art Boeing plane.’
Camilla Brekke, Director of the Norwegian Polar Institute, mentioned: ‘Probably the most essential side is the environmental achieve we will obtain by utilizing giant and fashionable plane of this sort for Troll.
‘This can assist scale back general emissions and the environmental footprint in Antarctica.’
She added: ‘Touchdown such a big plane opens up fully new prospects for logistics at Troll, which can even contribute to strengthening Norwegian analysis in Antarctica.’
The Dreamliner, contracted by the Norwegian Polar Institute and air dealer agency Aircontact, started its journey in Oslo on November 13, stopping in Cape City earlier than embarking on the ‘difficult’ Antarctic leg
The Dreamliner, with its ‘spectacular’ cargo capability, ‘excels at assembly the calls for of this mission’, mentioned Boeing’s Paul Erlandsson
Paul Erlandsson, Discipline Service Consultant from Boeing, commented: ‘The 787 Dreamliner stands out for its distinctive gasoline effectivity, enabling a round-trip flight from Cape City to Antarctica with out the necessity for refuelling.
‘This not solely ensures swift turnarounds but in addition considerably advantages the setting by eliminating logistical complexities of transporting, storing, and dealing with gasoline in Antarctica.
‘Paired with the plane’s spectacular 150 cubic metres of cargo capability distributed throughout three cargo holds, and a cargo loading system designed for simple dealing with of pallets and containers, the Dreamliner excels at assembly the calls for of this mission.’
