A319 Lands on Antarctic Ice Runway
Grauniad: Ice runway axes Antarctic journey time
Australian scientists heading to Antarctica will have their journey time cut from weeks to hours thanks to a new air service using a runway carved out on 500 metre-thick glacial ice, it has emerged.
An Airbus A319 on a trial flight touched down earlier this week on the remote Wilkins runway, 45 miles from Australia's Casey research station, just outside the Antarctic Circle. Operational services are due to commence shortly, after final clearance from aviation authorities.
"It was fantastic," said Charlton Clark, manager of the Antarctic Airlink project, who was on the historic flight. "The weather conditions were excellent, and we could see the runway from 10 kilometres [six miles] out. Having been involved in the project for many years, it is exciting to see it come to fruition."
The idea of an air link from Australia to Antartica was first explored in the 1950s, but funding and logistical problems, as well as concerns about the environmental impact of a runway amid the pristine beauty of Antarctica, thwarted the project. In 2001, however, a new feasibility study was carried out, and work finally got under way in 2005, after the Australian government committed $46m (£20m) in funding.
Crews have worked for the past three summers from mid-November to mid-February, when temperature rises, to carve out the two and a half-mile runway. "They have been able to use conventional construction equipment and laser levelling technology to shave the ice to the flatness required," said Clark.
Until now, scientists and specialists have had to spend weeks at sea to get to Australia's four research stations. The journey time from Hobart is approximately four hours and 20 minutes, and a flight a week is planned during the summer season. There are no plans to open the air service to tourists, and the link will have only a minor and transitory impact on the Antarctic environment, according to Clark.
The runway is about 19 miles from the nearest wildlife concentration and has been constructed using a natural glacial ice formation. The surface would return to its natural state if not continually cleared of snow, Clark said.