Plane circles for two and a half hours before Antarctica landing

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully was on board the Boeing 757. Photo / Ross Setford

An Air Force plane carrying 117 passengers, including Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully, had to circle for two and a half hours before landing at Antarctica in bad weather tonight.

The Boeing 757 with 11 crew members on board made its final approach below the usual instrument height before landing about 5pm in what the Air Force described as "challenging" conditions.

Air Component Commander, Air Commodore Mike Yardley, praised Defence Force personnel for the safe landing.

"Our pilots are well trained to cope with all adverse events, including weather deterioration and emergency landings.

"Thanks to the skills of the pilots and the robust procedures in place, the aircraft landed safely having had to descend below the normal instrument approach height.

"Antarctic weather is highly changeable and subtle shifts in wind speed or direction can have significant effects on the conditions at the destination airfield.

"The actual and forecast weather conditions are carefully monitored by the crew during the flight. In this case the weather changed late in the flight at a point where the remaining fuel no longer allowed a safe return to NZ."

The passengers included 94 personnel supporting the US Antarctic Programme, 16 Antarctica New Zealand passengers, and seven NZ Defence Force personnel.