Aeroplane for the first time touches down in Antarctica for commercial flight

An Airbus A340 jetliner was on a record-breaking flight from London to Buenos Aires, Argentina. This wasn’t a domestic flight, but a trans-Atlantic journey on a plane for the first time in Antarctica, the Aviation Herald reported. The Airbus A340 – Airbus’s biggest aircraft – had a two-day trans-Antarctic stopover in McMurdo station, the first time in history a commercial aircraft had touched down in Antarctica for this route. The flight was based on the strength of research by the McMurdo Research Station, which means it’s vital for understanding global climate and weather patterns that affect global weather patterns, among other things. While the rest of the plane was completely re-fit to make it safe to fly in Antarctica, “much of the interior of the interior was removed in preparation for taxiing and boarding,” an Airbus press release said. “The aeroplane also includes additional weather and ice-enforced doors that allow scientists to safely and quickly get onboard if things do not go as planned.”