Airbus A340 lands in Antarctica for the first time ever

The Charter company has made history on the the flight from Cape Town. Photo / Marc Bow

A Portuguese charter airline has made history landing the first Airbus A340 widebody aircraft in Antarctica.

The groundbreaking air link from South Africa will be used to fly a small number of tourists, researchers and vital cargo to the white continent.

Covering a distance of 4630km in under 5 hours the Airbus A340 departed Cape Town, South Africa arriving at a blue ice runway at Wolf's Fang base.

There were 23 passengers on the flight manifest. These passengers were all staff of the client arriving in the interior of Queen Maud Land for the summer.

"This is history" said captain Carlos Mirpuri, touching down shortly after 1pm local time on 2 November 2021.

Captain Carlos Mirpuri and the A340 flight crew celebrate their landing at Wolf Fang. Photo / Marc Bow

The flight arrived on the ice with clear views of the dramatic Ulvetanna peak in the Wolf's Fang range of Queen Maud Land, which gives the runway its name. This was all down to planning as landings require perfect weather and visibility.

"There are all sorts of concerns because there are no navigational aids. It's basically landing on blue glacial ice," said the captain.

Without markings the crew had to sight the landing strip from 20 miles and judge their approach. Essentially it is a 3000-meters-long patch of groomed ice in a white continent.

"We run a very comprehensive safety risk assessment. Our flight operations department has done an impeccable job in planning and preparing," said Mirpuri.

A PistenBully snow tractor clears the rear of the plane. Photo / Marc Bow, Supplied

The A340-313HGW was chosen for its fuel economy and cargo load. Should the fight have to be aborted, there are few runways to divert to.

"The aircraft was carefully chosen to perform well in this extreme environment," said a statement from Hi Fly. "Its exceptional range and 4 engine redundancy also makes it ideal for this type of remote operation."

A small group of tourists will arrive at Wolf Fang for the 2019/2020 season. Photo / White Desert

Private air links from South Africa to the ice runway are becoming increasingly busy.

Wolf Fang is the only privately operated landing strip in Antarctica. This season will see the first tourists visiting the newly established Wolf Fang Camp onsite, private accommodation for up to 12 guests.

Private visitors can expect to spend up to $119,000 for 8 day trips, including air links to the Geographic South Pole.