Summary

  • Flights over Antarctica were previously forbidden due to the lack of diversion airports, but the introduction of ETOPS 330 rules allowed certain aircraft to fly in the region.
  • Qantas recently rerouted a flight over Antarctica to avoid strong headwinds, using a Boeing 787-9 certified for ETOPS 330.
  • The lack of viable routes over Antarctica is due to the distance from large southern hemisphere land masses, lower populations, and the majority of commercial flights in the southern hemisphere running north-south. Limited commercial flights to Antarctica are operated by LATAM Airlines and Qantas, and private companies offer scenic flights to the region.

In the last generation or so, as new long-range aircraft were introduced, flights that skirted the Arctic became common. It is often the quickest way to get from North America to Asia or the Middle East, although the recent conflict between Russia and Ukraine has impacted some of these northern routes. But spin the globe, and one aviation dark spot is left - Antarctica. Why do very few flights operate in the region?

Until recently, regular passenger flights over Antarctica were forbidden

Historically, ETOPS rules governed how far a commercial aircraft could fly from an emergency diversion airport. Antarctica, more isolated than the Arctic, has no diversion airports, effectively making the region a no-go zone for scheduled passenger services.

The 1979 crash of Air New Zealand’s Antarctic sightseeing trip didn’t help perceptions of Antarctic flying. A McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 operating as TE901 crashed into Mt Erebus on Ross Island on November 28, 1979, killing all 257 onboard.

Then, in 2011, ETOPS 330 came into effect. It was a rule that allowed particular aircraft to fly up to 330 minutes from a diversion airport, putting Antarctic zone flights on the map for airlines flying modern long-range twin-engine jets. But expeditioners down at Mawson Station on the world’s seventh continent weren’t suddenly seeing contrails above.

Qantas recent flights

On July 14, 2023, Qantas Flight QF28 between Santiago de Chile and Sydney rerouted from the usual path and instead went over Antarctica. The flight typically passes over the Southern Pacific Ocean only as far south as 70°. Nonetheless, that day, the crew flew to 74.17°S to avoid strong headwinds along the usual route.

Qantas was able to take this route because it employed a Boeing 787-9 that was delivered at the beginning of June. This 787 was certified for ETOPS 330, meaning only the center of the Antarctic continent was off-limits.

In 2021, the Australian airline operated a very long commercial flight between Buenos Aires and Darwin. This flight passed overland in Antarctica, as you can see in the second image above.

Situation unlikely to change

The reasons seem fairly prosaic. Firstly, the large southern hemisphere land masses are significantly further from Antarctica than their northern hemisphere equivalents, rendering flying over the South Pole a much less viable proposition than Arctic flights.

Secondly, the southern hemisphere is far less populated than the northern hemisphere, and the bulk of the big cities in the southern hemisphere are in the northern reaches. A flight from, say, Lagos to São Paulo isn’t going to go anywhere near Antarctica.

Thirdly, most commercial flights in the southern hemisphere tend to run north-south. There are exceptions, but most flights out of Africa, Australia, and South America head in a northerly direction.

Some flights actually go directly to Antarctica. Last year, Icelandair flew to the Deep South in a unique service that went from Keflavík Airport in Iceland to Cape Town, South Africa, where it paused for a rest and refueling before it flew the remainder 4,332 kilometers south to Troll. The Portuguese wet lease specialist Hi Fly also flew to this continent in 2021, becoming the first company to ever land an Airbus A320 in Antarctica.

Very difficult to be onboard one flight that skirts over Antarctica

Only a few flights skirt Antarctica nowadays. Regularly, only two carriers operate commercial passenger flights between South America and Oceania. These are LATAM Airlines and Qantas. The Chilean-based company flies the route Santiago-Auckland-Sydney daily, while Qantas, as stated before, flies directly from Sydney to Santiago.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, LATAM also flew from Santiago to Melbourne, and Air New Zealand operated the service Auckland-Buenos Aires. These two routes are currently canceled and might not return.

But if flying over the South Pole is on your bucket list, there are options. There are private companies that offer, what they call, the most unique scenic flight. Antarctica Flights depart from Australian cities such as Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth, onboard a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and take passengers on a 12.5-hour flight to visit Antarctica.

Would you like to be onboard a plane that flies over Antarctica? Or have you been in one? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: Antarctica Flights, FlightRadar24.com