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It happened!
A newly constructed Airbus A340 aircraft made its first trans-Antarctic flight on Saturday from New Zealand to Victoria Station on Antarctica.
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The Airbus A340 “Yolanda” at 88 meters long and 24 meters wide is the largest plane to have flown from one continent to another.
“This is about re-affirming the dedication of the people of New Zealand to the unique destination of Antarctica,” said Dr Rob Smirnoff, ambassador of the Netherlands. “The ship that carried our A340, saw-off visitors here from New Zealand and took the most important cargo out to the end of the world.”
The plane that carried the passengers had become a tourist attraction in itself, so there were no passengers on board but rather technicians, engineers and tour guides.
Lets be honest, it’s insane. The land base is a giant building with a 14 meter ceiling, staff and maintenance, built and designed to be an Anzac barracks, of course in the mid 1900s. Made of bricks. Unforgettable. pic.twitter.com/azBF3MnoRl — Adam Dixon (@adamdixon) October 14, 2018
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By Brendon Lemay
AAP correspondent, New Zealand