RuAviation

Zenit airfield at the Progress Antarctic station on November 9 received the first international flight performed by an IL-76TD-90VD aircraft of Volga-Dnepr Company. The flight was organized by the South African company ALCI-UAL, the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) reported.

The flight from Cape Town took 6.5 hours. During this time the liner covered a distance of 5,300 kilometers. Scientists and polar explorers from India, China, Russia and South Africa, 42 passengers in total, as well as cargoes for the Russian and Indian stations were delivered to Antarctica. The landing of the airplane was provided by specialists of the Russian Antarctic Expedition of the AARI. To make air communication possible, a new runway was constructed at Progress station. Its construction was carried out by the AARI specialists together with the Zapsibgazprom Company. The runway is 100 meters wide and has a length of 3000 meters, which allows receiving heavy aircrafts on wheeled landing gear such as IL-76, as well as small aircrafts.

“Zenit Aviation Complex can become an important link for the development of international cooperation and international air transportation. Its location is an important logistics center not only for Russia, but also for other countries. In particular, scientific stations in India, China and Australia are located not far from our runway. Large volumes of cargo are also shipped from here to the Russian inland station Vostok and Chinese stations Kunlun and Taishan,” said Alexander Makarov, Director of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute.

According to him, the development of a new air direction can significantly expand logistical opportunities of expedition programs of these states and increase the number of scientific studies conducted in this area.

Six flights of IL-76 airplanes are scheduled for the 2023-24 season. The flights will ensure delivery of polar explorers from different countries and necessary cargo. The development of aviation infrastructure at the Antarctic Progress station opens new opportunities for scientific research and exchange of experience between scientists from different countries.

Earlier, at the end of October, the landing site at Novolazarevskaya station in Antarctica also began its operation. In accordance with the international corporate aviation program DROMLAN this season the aviation center will provide reception and landing of 11 international flights for delivery and departure of the Russian and foreign participants of seasonal work in the Antarctic. The airfield can also be used by 11 member-states of the DROMLAN Program – Belgium, Great Britain, Germany, India, Russia, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Sweden, South Africa and Japan. Besides, flights of other countries are expected at Novolazarevskaya station.