Big Dreamliner in Antarctica for the first time. Historic landing on a glacier

Of course, it was not a scheduled flight, but a special venture of the Norwegian Polar Institute and Norse Atlantic Airways – a Norwegian low-cost airline founded in February 2021. The machine landed at the airport of the (Norwegian) year-round Troll research station located on Queen Maud Land.

The first Dreamliner in Antarctica. He flew all the way from Oslo

The plane took off from Oslo on November 13 and headed directly to Cape Town. He spent two days in South Africa and then flew towards Queen Maud Land. The historic landing took place on November 15 at 2:01 local time (polar day in Antarctica) after almost five hours of travel. On November 16, the machine returned to Cape Town.

As the carrier boasts, this is the first Boeing 787 (Dreamliner) in history to reach Antarctica. The machine delivered to the icy continent, among others: scientists and necessary supplies for the station, but at the same time it was an important milestone for the Norwegian station and the airline itself. The large Dreamliner allows you to deliver a larger amount of supplies to Antarctica faster and in a slightly more ecological way (than with several flights with smaller planes).

Historic moment for Norse. The first-ever Boeing 787 Dreamliner landed in Antarctica! We are incredibly honored to be part of this piece of history, marking a special milestone for Norse. We would like to express our gratitude to the Norwegian Polar Institute, which entrusted us with this important flight

– wrote the carrier on the X portal.

Even though the Troll station is the airport communication port for the entire region and has a 3 km long ice runway (adapted to support wide-body aircraft), the flight was preceded by long preparations. How landing on a glacier required special training for the crew. While still in Norway, the pilots became familiar with the landing site and underwent training in survival in harsh Antarctic conditions. The plane itself was, in turn, equipped with survival kits for the crew and critical spare parts for the plane. In the event of a breakdown, it could be repaired on site.

The entire journey of the plane could be tracked, among others. on Flightradar24. , in the first phase of the flight, over ocean waters, the machine was tracked using satellite technology. Near the Troll station, the aircraft’s position was determined using an ADS-B receiver, which was installed at the station in December 2022.

The Dreamliner is not the first large plane to land in Antarctica, but it is definitely one of the largest machines with such an achievement. The Troll research station, which most often hosts narrow-body aircraft, however, includes, among others: a large, four-engine Airbus A340 of the Portuguese airline Hi Fly.