A Norwegian company lands a Boeing 787 in Antarctica for the first time

A Norse Atlantic Airways plane landed at Trolle Airport with 45 passengers on board during an operation led by the Norwegian Polar Institute.

Successful landing. For the first time, a Boeing 787 was able to land in Antarctica. The North Atlantic Airways plane, which departed from Oslo, Norway, before stopping in South Africa at Cape Town Airport, was the largest plane to land on ice on Wednesday.

The plane arrived at Troll Airport in Queen Maud Land, where there is only one ice-covered runway, 3,000 meters long and 60 meters wide. This stop is coordinated by the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI), which chartered this flight carrying 45 passengers, including scientists, and 12 tons of research equipment.

“The plane that landed last night was carrying passengers from several countries who were heading to other stations,” said John Guldahl, director of operations and logistics at the Norwegian Polar Institute in Norway. statement.

Progress made in reducing emissions on the continent

Norwegian researchers rejoiced on social networks after this unprecedented event.

“This demonstrates our ability to make more cost-effective voyages to Antarctica by carrying a larger scientific and logistics crew but also more cargo with a smaller environmental footprint,” NPI Director Camilla Brekke said on X.

The Norwegian Polar Institute explained in an Instagram post that between “six and eight aircraft of different sizes” land in Troll every year. With an airport capable of accommodating machines the size of a Boeing aircraft, “this means it could help move towards reducing flights and maritime traffic, which would therefore contribute to reducing overall emissions in Antarctica,” the NPI explains.

After posing for a uniformed photo in the snow, the Norris Atlantic Airways crew returned without having to refuel at Troll.