Norse Atlantic Airways, known as The Explorer’s Airline, proudly marks a groundbreaking milestone in aviation history with the first landing of its Boeing 787 Dreamliner, registration LN-FNC, named “Everglades,” at Troll Airfield (QAT) in Antarctica. The momentous achievement took place at 02:01 local time on Wednesday, November 15th, 2023.
Led by Norse Atlantic Airways and contracted by the Norwegian Polar Institute and Aircontact, Scandinavia’s largest and leading air broker firm, this historic mission transported essential research equipment and scientists to the remote Troll research station in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica.
Aboard flight N0787 were 45 passengers, including scientists from the Norwegian Polar Institute and other countries, destined for different stations in Antarctica. The flight also transported 12 tons of essential research equipment crucial for Antarctic exploration.
Starting from Oslo on November 13th, the Dreamliner made a stop in Cape Town, South Africa, before embarking on the challenging Antarctic leg. Departing Cape Town at 23:03 on Wednesday, the aircraft spent over 40 hours in South Africa before its historic landing at Troll Airfield.
Bjørn Tore Larsen, CEO of Norse Atlantic Airways, expressed immense pride and honor in achieving this historic milestone:
“It is a great honor and excitement on behalf of the entire team Norse that we have achieved together a momentous moment of landing the first 787 Dreamliner. In the spirit of exploration, we are proud to have a hand in this important and unique mission. It is a true testament to our highly trained and skilled pilots and crew, and our state-of-the-art Boeing aircraft.”
Antarctica lacks conventional paved runways; hence Norse Atlantic Airways landed on a ‘blue ice runway’, 3,000 meters long and 60 meters wide, at Troll Airfield. The Norwegian Polar Institute operates the research station located in Jutulsessen in Queen Maud Land, approximately 235 kilometers from the coast.
Icelandair’s Boeing 767-300 wide-body passenger aircraft made an impressive flight from Reykjavik to Antarctica with an ice landing in 2021.
