Embark on an aviation adventure beyond the ordinary! Forget about typical runways—imagine landing on an ice runway in Antarctica. Norse Atlantic Airways defied the odds, guiding a Boeing 787 Dreamliner onto a "blue ice runway," a 3,000-meter masterpiece sculpted from snow and ice.
Picture this: Wednesday, 2 a.m. at Troll Airfield, bathed in the glow of southern hemisphere summer sunlight. A Dreamliner, with a capacity of up to 330 passengers, makes its historic debut on the sixth continent.
Hold your ticket, though, because flight N0787 wasn't your standard passenger joyride. On board were not just thrill-seekers but intrepid scientists from the Norwegian Polar Institute. Their mission? A chartered journey to the Troll research station in Antarctica, complete with 12 tons of essential equipment.
This wasn't your typical express flight. Departing from Oslo on November 13, the Dreamliner made a pit stop in Cape Town before venturing further south, culminating in a record-breaking landing on a chilly Wednesday night.
Norse Atlantic Airways celebrates feat
According to Daniel Carey from Aircontact, the broker who organised the flight, the Dreamliner's generous cargo capacity rendered it the perfect choice for this journey. Additionally, Paul Erlandsson, the field service representative at Boeing, highlighted the aircraft's fuel efficiency as a contributing factor. Remarkably, the Dreamliner completed the round trip from Cape Town to Antarctica without the need for refueling.
Norse Atlantic Airways CEO, Bjørn Tore Larsen, said in a statement, “It is a great honor and excitement on behalf of the entire team Norse that we have achieved together a momentous moment of landing the first 787 Dreamliner."
“In the spirit of exploration, we are proud to have a hand in this important and unique mission. It is a true testament to our highly trained and skilled pilots and crew, and our state-of-the-art Boeing aircraft," he added.
Flight details
The Boeing 787-8, bearing registration LN-FNC, initiated its expedition from Oslo Gardermoen Airport (OSL/ENGM) on November 13, commencing with a flight to Cape Town Airport (CPT/FACT) in South Africa. After approximately 48 hours in Cape Town, the aircraft embarked on the next leg of its journey to Troll Research Station (QAT/ENOE) in Antarctica.
The aircraft flew a 5:08 flight returning to Cape Town at 13:30 on November 16, 2023.
