Norse Atlantic Airways Achieves Historic Milestone: First Boeing 787 Landing in Antarctica
Source: Sven / Norsk Polarinstitutt
Norse Atlantic Airways, known as The Explorer's Airline, achieved a milestone by landing its Boeing 787 Dreamliner, registration LN-FNC, and named "Everglades," at Troll Airfield (QAT) in Antarctica. This significant accomplishment occurred at 02:01 local on Wednesday, November 15th, 2023.
Source: Sven / Norsk Polarinstitutt
Norse Atlantic en route to Antarctica tracked via RadarBox.com
This historic expedition, conducted by Norse Atlantic Airways in collaboration with the Norwegian Polar Institute and Aircontact, Scandinavia's premier air brokerage firm, facilitated the transportation of essential research apparatus and scientists to the remote Troll research station in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica.
Source: Sven / Norsk Polarinstitutt
Flight N0787 accommodated 45 passengers, including scientists from the Norwegian Polar Institute and other nations, destined for various stations in Antarctica. The flight also conveyed 12 tons of indispensable research equipment crucial for Antarctic exploration.
Source: Sven / Norsk Polarinstitutt
Embarking from Oslo on November 13th, the Dreamliner stopped in Cape Town, South Africa, before undertaking the challenging Antarctic leg. Departing Cape Town at 23:03 on Wednesday, the aircraft spent over 40 hours in South Africa before its historic landing at Troll Airfield.
Bjørn Tore Larsen, CEO of Norse Atlantic Airways, expressed immense pride and honor in achieving this historic milestone:
"It is a great honor and excitement on behalf of the entire Norse team that we have achieved a meaningful moment of landing the first 787 Dreamliner together. In the spirit of exploration, we are proud to have a hand in this important and unique mission. It is a testament to our highly trained and skilled pilots and crew and our state-of-the-art Boeing aircraft."
Due to the absence of conventional paved runways in Antarctica, Norse Atlantic Airways executed the landing on a 'blue ice runway' at Troll Airfield, measuring 3,000 meters long and 60 meters wide. The Norwegian Polar Institute's research station is in Jutulsessen in Queen Maud Land, approximately 235 kilometers from the coast.
Camilla Brekke, Director of the Norwegian Polar Institute, emphasized the environmental benefits of employing large and modern aircraft like the Dreamliner for operations at Troll:
“The most crucial aspect" is the environmental gain we can achieve by using large and modern aircraft of this type for Troll. This can help reduce overall emissions and the environmental footprint in Antarctica,” says Brekke. “Landing such a large "craft opens up entirely new possibilities for logistics at Troll, which will also contribute to strengthening Norwegian research in Antarctica.”
Daniel Carey, spokesperson for Aircontact, the oldest global air brokerage firm, emphasized the importance of involving civil aviation authorities for operational quality and security, securing their approval ahead of the mission.
“We’ve been involved in"We'veons to the Antarctic for years—the Dreamliner’s huge cargo. Dreamliner's perfect for these flights,” added Carey.
