The crew of Icelandair who flew to Antarctica last week have returned safely from their long haul flight.
The passengers of the flight have stated that they have hardly felt the effects of the pandemic.
A truly epic journey.
The journey took a total of five days, there and back again. The flight left from Keflavík to Cape Town where it would refuel before leaving for Troll, Antarctica.
The purpose of the trip was to visit Norwegian scientists who have been there for research on behalf of the Norwegian Arctic Institute.
Another happy landing.
The pilot, August Hakansson, told RÚV that the conditions upon arrival were surprisingly good for a plane to land in.
“White, brilliant weather when we landed there on the glacier, light wind and -13°C, brilliant good weather,” says the pilot and expedition leader.
The stop in Antarctica was short before returning home with one extra stop in Oslo to drop off the Norwegian scientists.
COVID, what?
The scientists themselves have been living in the South Pole for 16 months now, which is why they have hardly felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“No, they have known little about the epidemic except from the media they have seen,” August said. “It was a matter of concern whether we would come infected to them or whether they would be exposed to infection on the way home to Norway. They were willing to let go of the quarantine upon arrival, because of how much isolation they had been in.”
August also added that both the take off and landing in Antarctica was rather simple and that “It was not slippery on this track. I have come across very slippery roads all over Europe.”
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