Antarctica flight heralds new era for tourism to South Pole area

A Chinese business jet landed safely at the Wolfs Fang Airport in Antarctica on Saturday night, the first time a Chinese private jet operator has operated a flight to the southernmost continent.

The aircraft, with 22 Chinese passengers onboard, flew from Hong Kong to Cape Town International Airport, and then flew to Antarctica. Next, the team will fly around five to six hours to the South Pole, and it will become the first self-organized Chinese scientific research team.

The plane, operated by Hainan Airlines, was a Deer Jet Gulfstream G650 aircraft. Deer Jet said it had planned the flight for a year, and conducted hundreds of risk tests, flight routes, flight support and emergency plans to ensure the flight could be performed safely.