Hi Fly, a Portuguese charter airline, operated a flight to the South Pole.
A340 lands on ice runway.
On November 2, 2021, a Hi Fly A3400-300 flew from Cape Town to Antarctica and back in one day. An A340 with the registration code 9H-SOL landed on a blue ice runway for the first time in its history. The plane landed on Wolf's Fang Runway, which is around 3000 meters long.
The journey took just over five hours each way, covering a distance of 2,500 miles. The plane spent less than three hours in the South Pole before returning, so it was an efficient operation, and went exactly as planned, despite the plane's "SOL" registration.
The purpose of the flight was to bring people to the area. We see charter flights to Antarctica a lot, because there is a need for people and supplies to move to and from the continent.
I wrote about how an airplane from Icelandair flew all the way to the South Pole.
I fly the A340 in Antarctica.
I fly the A340 in Antarctica.
I fly the A340 in Antarctica.
I fly the A340 in Antarctica.
The captain of the flight shared his log.
The story is interesting, but here is what takes it to the next level. The production value of the video produced by Hi Fly is surprisingly good. Cockpit footage, interviews with the captain, and more are included. If you only have eight minutes, I highly recommend watching it.
The captain's log, which is essentially a trip report from the captain about this journey, has been published by Hi Fly. Carlos Mirpuri is the VP of Hi Fly.
The captain of the A340 plane is in the South Pole.
I am sure I am not the only one who would love to go to Antarctica someday, so seeing videos like this and reading firsthand accounts always gets me excited.
The bottom line.
The first time an A340 has ever landed on the continent was when Hi Fly operated a flight from Cape Town to Antarctica. This one is different because of how well the whole thing was documented, both in the form of a video and a captain's log. Well done!
I find this intriguing.
