Chimu Adventures jetted to the South Pole and back in one day with an industry-first commercial scenic day flight from Melbourne yesterday, taking 200 passengers to remote locations in Antarctica that humans have rarely seen.
The 16-hour flight on an exclusive chartered Qantas Dreamliner 737 aircraft flew direct from Australia to the South Pole, the first time any commercial airline has ever flown to the South Pole.
The route took in views of Cape Adare, Mount Melbourne, Mount Erebus and Mount Terror before flying over the Ross Ice Shelf, Beardmore Glacier and the Trans-Antarctic mountains.
The flight then traversed the Polar Plateau as it followed Robert Falcon Scott’s famous exploratory route to the South Pole.
Circling Scott Amundsen South Pole Station several times, passengers enjoyed unparalleled views of the South Pole and the research station below.
A scenic return to Antarctica’s edge presented stunning sights of the Dry Valleys, Drygalski Ice Tongue, ancient glaciers, icebergs and sea ice.
Throughout the day, travellers were treated to many unique inflight moments, including talks from Antarctic specialists and special guest Australian adventurer Daniel Bull.
The flight also connected via live satellite call with the Antarctica 2023 team on the ground, currently on the longest unsupported ski crossing of the continent collecting data on climate change.
This once-in-a-lifetime Chimu experience allows travellers to experience sights previously only accessible to Antarctic researchers.
The South Pole Scenic Flight, like all of Chimu’s customer experiences, was entirely carbon offset at no extra cost to passengers.
Chimu Managing Director Chad Carey said: “Our South Pole flight was a world first and an incredible achievement for everyone involved.”
“We dug deep into Chimu’s vast knowledge of Antarctica and paired it with Qantas’ unfaultable aeronautical navigation and logistics skills to make this incredible one-day journey to the South Pole possible.
“A complete historical tour of the Antarctic Age of Exploration in a day is something we are very proud of and we look forward to taking more travellers on the same journey,” he said.
The next South Pole Scenic Flight will depart on 3 December 2023, priced from a cool AUD$1,865.
For more info, head to chimuadventures.com
