First Passenger Jet Lands in Antarctica
Friday, January 11th, 2008Antarctica has finally had it’s first passenger jet.
Last night, an Airbus A319 left Australia and landed in Antarctica at 3am. Passengers included Peter Garrett - Australia’s Environment Minister (also famous for his time as lead singer in Australian rock band Midnight Oil), 7 scientists, and 11 other passengers. The 7 scientists will remain in Antarctica to carry out research.
The flight was made possible because a suitable runway has only recently been completed. Wilkins Runway is 4 kilometers long, 500 meters deep, and took $46 million to complete. Wilkins Runway is approximately 70 kilometers from Casey Station.
Although tourists won’t be boarding any flights soon, the new runway enables quick access for scientists to Antarctica. It eliminates the need to travel for 2 weeks through the southern oceans. Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) hopes to make up to 20 flights to Antarctica per year. This will be a huge win for research in the Antarctica - especially in the area of climate change and global warming.
Peter said the project “It’s a remarkable engineering feat these people have achieved. It’s a logistical triumph and connects the last two continents to be linked by air“.
He also said “This is a very big occasion, it certainly is historic. A new era will unfold for us in terms of looking after our planet.“
