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Argentina plans tourist flights to Antarctica

July 27, 2016

Tourists will be able to fly from Argentina to Antarctica from 2018, on the first-ever regular commercial flights to the continent.

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BdW Global Ideas Bild der Woche KW 45/2015 Antarktis Pinguin
Image: Reuters/P. Askin

Flights will depart once or twice weekly from Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego to the Argentinian base Marambio on Seymour Island, situated near the tip of the Antarctic peninsula, La Nacion newspaper said. Marambio is situated approximately 3,330 kilometres south of the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires. The airstrip at Marambio will be upgraded with a radar station allowing for the safe arrival of regular flights. Approximately 10 per cent of accommodations at the base will be made available for tourists, Ministry of Defence secretary Walter Ceballos told.
The flights will take around one and a half hours and will be serviced by turboprop planes from the state-owned airline LADE, the report said.