NZ airline plans Ice runway in Antarctica

Sep 25, 2013 |

New Zealand’s flagship airline plans to open a new frontier by flying planes to Antarctica that pilots would land on an ice runway.

Ut tourists wanting to travel to the frozen continent will need to keep their hopes in check. The chartered Air New Zealand flights would be for scientists and their crews, and the airline on Tuesday said it has no plans to start commercial trips. Many countries fly scientists to Antarctica. But those flights are typically run by government or military agencies, or by specialised companies. Air New Zealand plans to use one of its regular passenger jets for the Antarctic flights, a Boeing 767-300. The airline plans a trial run on October 4 and may operate two more charter flights in the upcoming Antarctic summer season.

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