Antarctica by plane · Antarctica by plane
All Destinations | Europe | Asia | North America | Africa | South America | Oceania | Hotels
Antarctica by plane
Antarctica by plane
Aircraft and pilots need to be capable of landing on ice, snow, or gravel runways, as there are no paved runways.There are 28 airport landing facilities in Antarctica and all 37 Antarctic stations have helipads. Landings are generally restricted to the daylight season (Summer months from October to March). Winter landings have been performed at Williams Field but low temperatures mean that aircraft cannot stay on the ice longer than an hour or so as their skis may freeze to the ice runway. Travel is normally by military aircraft, as part of the cargo. Passengers should anticipate carrying all their own luggage and may need to assist with freight as well.
Major landing fields include:
Williams Field - Serves McMurdo Station and Scott Base.
Pegasus Blue-Ice Runway - Serves McMurdo Station and Scott Base.
Annual Sea-Ice Runway - Serves McMurdo Station and Scott Base.
Commercial overflights to Antarctica are limited - a handful of operators offer flights from Sydney, Melbourne, and Punta Arenas. These flights typically visit Antarctica and spend several hours flying over the ice. Passengers in most seating classes rotate their position in the row halfway into the flight, to give everyone a window or one-over-from-window seat for half of the time. Rates range from $5199 for first class, to $1399 for partially-obstructed-view economy class, or $899 for non-rotating center-section seats with window access depending on the courtesy of better-seated travelers.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Antarctica
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Antarctica - updated May 2024
SAVE up to 75% on Last Minute deals! Search for discount Antarctica hotels, motels, apartments, hostels, guest accommodations and vacation resorts. Book now and pay at the hotel. Instant email confirmation!
>>> SEARCH FOR DEALS <<<
WHERE TO TRAVEL NEXT IN 2020
Antarctica Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.