An Australian aviation crew has successfully completed a midwinter mission to rescue a US expedition member from McMurdo Station in Antarctica. The operation, described as "extraordinary" by Skytraders, took place last Friday following an urgent medical evacuation request.
The Airbus A319, known as Snowbird 1, landed in "extremely challenging conditions," including total darkness and temperatures of -43°C (-45.4F). After an initial weather-related delay, the patient was safely transferred onto the plane and flown to Christchurch, New Zealand, for treatment. The patient is now recovering well.
Duncan Mackay, Skytraders deputy chief executive, stated that the plane was refitted into a specialised medevac configuration within 24 hours of the call. He also noted that his company believes this was the closest a civilian airliner has operated to the winter solstice, which was on 21 June, for such a mission.