Icelandair sends its first Boeing 767 to Antarctica

Icelandair Boeing 767 - Photo source: Air Team Images - Philippe Noret

Yesterday, February 24th, Icelandair, sent one of its Boeing 767s on a mission to Antarctica. The flight, FI1010, with aircraft registration TF-ISN, departed from Reykjavik, Iceland, for Cape Town, South Africa, and proceeded to Antarctica. 

This is the first time that Icelandair will fly to the South Pole with this type of aircraft. Typically, these flights have been operated with the airline's Boeing 757. Icelandair's landing site will be at the Troll Research Station, a Norwegian research station in Antarctica.

FI1010 flight data:

About Troll Research Station

Troll is a Norwegian research station located at Jutulsessen, 235 kilometers (146 mi) from the coast in the eastern part of Princess Martha Coast in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica. Troll is operated by the Norwegian Polar Institute and features facilities for the Norwegian Meteorological Institute and the Norwegian Institute for Air Research.

Contrary to most other research stations on the continent, Troll is constructed on the snow-free slope of solid rock breaking through the ice sheet at Jutulsessen, located 1,275 meters (4,183 ft) above mean sea level. The station opened as a summer-only station in 1990 and was taken into use as an all-year station in 2005. It has an overwintering capacity of eight people and a summer capacity of 40. It is served by Troll Airfield, which is the base for the Dronning Maud Land Air Network (DROMLAN).

Photo source: Norwegian Polar Institute

Photo source: Norwegian Polar Institute

Source: Icelandair