When Hi Fly’s Airbus A340 Returned To Antarctica

Summary

  • Hi Fly operated charter flights to Antarctica with an A340-300, carrying tourists and cargo.
  • The A340 made the five-hour trip to Antarctica’s ice runway with the visibility and weather challenges.
  • Despite the risks, the flights offer unique experiences amid memories of past tragic Antarctic flights.

Back in November 2022, Hi Fly flew an Airbus A340-300 from Cape Town, South Africa, to Antarctica and back. The charter airline operated flights 3L801/802 on the 5,000 NM (9,260 km) odyssey.

A short hop to the White Desert

The aircraft, registered as 9H-TQZ, took around five hours to cover each leg. Data from Flighradar24 shows that the Airbus A340-300 departed Cape Town International Airport (CPT) at 08:18 and landed back there at 21:54. Hi Fly went on to use A340 Preighter for flights during the short Antarctic summer season, carrying a small number of tourists alongside scientists and essential cargo to the white wilderness. The aircraft is capable of carrying up to 267 passengers in a three-class configuration – 12 in first class, 42 in business class, and 213 in economy class.

Hi Fly Antarctica to Cape Town A340 Flight Map November 2022

This service followed in the wake Hi Fly’s first A340 flight to Antarctica in November 2021, operated by 9H-SOL. Both services landed at Wolf’s Fang Runway (WFR) in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica. WFR’s runway is carved from blue glacial ice that is around 4,600 feet (1.4 kilometers) thick, 8,200 feet (2,500 meters) long, and 196 feet (60 meters) wide. The first A340 flight was flown with an Airbus A340-313HGW (High Gross Weight) with a maximum take-off weight of 275 tons, so the ice runway is more than strong enough for these aircraft.

Hi Fly A340 WFR Runway 211102 Antarctica

Photo: Hi Fly

While Hi Fly is a Portuguese charter operator, yesterday’s aircraft is registered to Hi Fly Malta. According to ch-aviation, Hi Fly Malta has a fleet of twelve Airbus aircraft, including five A340-300s, two A330-300s, and four A330-200s.

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In 2023, the airline added several A330s to its fleet, inheriting them from a number of former operators, including KLM and GullivAir. Hi Fly also previously operated one Airbus A380, which was delivered to the carrier in 2018. With its distinctive livery, the aircraft supported the airline’s “Save the Coral Reefs” campaign, and made several achievements during its short time with Hi Fly, including:

  • Being the first Airbus A380 to fly between London and New York
  • Operating the world’s longest non-stop domestic flight between Paris and St. Denis
  • Completing a four-day humanitarian mission.

The A340s have an average age of 25 years, although 9H-TQZ is slightly older at almost 27 years. It was first delivered to Singapore Airlines in 1997, joining Hi Fly in May 2013 after almost a decade with Emirates. Since joining Hi Fly, it has spent time on lease to various carriers worldwide, including Norwegian Air Shuttle, XL Airways France, and Saudia.

Hi Fly’s A340 first touched the ice in 2021

Hi Fly’s Antarctica flight in November 2022 was under the command of the airline’s Vice President and co-founder, Captain Carlos Mirpuri. Mirpuri has accumulated more than 17,000 flying hours in his flying career, with pilot ratings including the Airbus A320/A330/A350/A380 and A340. He produced a log of the initial A340 flight to Antarctica, in which he said picking out the runway presents its own challenges.

Hi Fly A340 first flight to Antartica November 21 2021

Photo: Hi Fly 

“There is no visual glide slope guidance, and the blending of the runway with the surrounding terrain and the immense white desert around makes height adjustment challenging to say the least.”

The highly changeable weather of the polar region means it’s vital for pilots to receive accurate reports as they are en route. Mirpuri says the staff at WFR send these via satellite phone to Hi Fly’s team in Lisbon, who forward them to the A340 crew. He says this frequent reassurance that the actual weather matches the forecast is vital when “you fly to the end of the world.”

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In Photos: A Look At Hi Fly’s Antarctic Airbus A340 Mission

Are you sure we can stop?

As the aircraft passes through the top of descent, another vital piece of information that gets passed on is the runway friction report. Friction reports come from a specially equipped car driving along the runway and taking measurements every 500 meters (1,640 feet) to determine the runway’s condition.

Hi Fly A340 Antarctica November 2021

Photo: Hi Fly

WFR has equipment that cleans and carves grooves into the ice runway, and Mirpuri says the team was confident there would be no problems, “at least on paper, as never had an A340 landed before in blue glacial ice.” He was right.

Following the success of Hi Fly’s charter services between South Africa and Antarctica in 2022, the flights went on to be repeated in 2023, offering those onboard a unique experience traveling to an unexplored and environmentally hostile part of the world. Unfortunately, one particular Antarctic sightseeing flight is remembered for all the wrong reasons – Air New Zealand Flight 901 crashed into Mount Erebus in November 1979, killing all 237 passengers and 20 crew members onboard.

Read more:

What Caused An Air New Zealand Flight To Crash Into An Antarctic Mountain In 1979

On November 28, 1979, Flight TE 901 crashed into Mount Erebus, triggering one of the most controversial investigations in the country’s history.

Would you have liked to travel on one of Hi Fly’s charter services between South Africa and Cape Town? Have you had any similar experiences flying to unusual places over the years? Let us know by commenting below.

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