What’s Hiding at the South Pole That Keeps Planes Away?

Bright Side

Ever wondered why planes often fly over the North Pole but almost never cross the South Pole? It all comes down to logistics, safety, and practicality. The North Pole is surrounded by land and has plenty of emergency landing spots, while Antarctica is a frozen, isolated wasteland with almost no airports. Plus, airline routes are based on where people actually travel, and there’s just not much demand for flights over the South Pole. Extreme cold and strong magnetic interference also make navigation tricky down there. So while flying over the Arctic is common, the Antarctic skies remain mostly empty!  Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV   Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en Telegram: https://t.me/bright_side_official   Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

Transcript

00:00I guess it's no surprise that it's not that easy to just hop on a plane and literally

00:05fly to the South Pole, aka Antarctica.

00:09Sure there are airports down there, but they're not really set up for commercial flights.

00:13So most people go to Punta Arenas International Airport in southern Patagonia, Chile, and

00:18then take a boat if they want to see some penguins.

00:22But not only is it hard to fly there, it's even harder to fly over there.

00:28When you're cruising at 30,000 feet, you probably don't think much about what's happening

00:33below.

00:34But it's pretty unusual for flights to go directly over the South Pole, and planes flying

00:39across Antarctica are quite rare too.

00:42Technically it is possible, I've already mentioned that there are airports there.

00:47But even so, the infrastructure down there is still super limited.

00:52There simply aren't enough airports or refueling stations to support regular commercial flights,

00:57making it tricky to operate in such a remote area.

01:00Plus, there are only a handful of specialized cargo and transport flights that go in and

01:05out, and they exist to cater to those few folks who actually live in Antarctica.

01:12Then there's the weather that drives up the costs.

01:15The simplest example is that the pilots there need special training, which costs money,

01:20which is all because of the weather.

01:22Another hurdle is something called ETOPS.

01:25These rules dictate how far twin-engine planes can fly from an airport.

01:30Since there are so few airports in Antarctica, it's tough for pilots to stick to these regulations.

01:36Historically, ETOPS made it next to impossible to fly close to or over the South Pole, while

01:43flights over land have plenty of airports to choose from.

01:47Antarctica is a whole different ballgame.

01:50These days, some aircraft can fly up to 330 minutes or, in rare cases, even 370 minutes

01:57from an airport.

01:59But even with those extended limits, certain parts of the airspace above Antarctica are

02:03still off-limits.

02:04Still, in the grand scheme of things, that might not be a huge deal.

02:11The most curious of you must have googled that already and found out that there really

02:15are Antarctic airways.

02:17Please do not judge fast and don't say I wasn't right saying how hard it was to fly

02:22to the South Pole.

02:24Let me break it down for you.

02:26Antarctic Airways advertise as the world's most exclusive transcontinental flight, but

02:31don't think you can just waltz in and book a ticket anytime.

02:35For starters, Antarctic Airways mostly operates flights to King George Island from December

02:40to March, so it's not all year round.

02:44But there are many more reasons why these flights are unique.

02:48If you dig into their website, you'll find you've got two choices.

02:53A full day in Antarctica or an overnight adventure.

02:57Prices kick off at $5,500 for a day trip and go up to $6,500 for an overnight stay.

03:06And if you're considering a private charter, get ready to shell out a pretty penny.

03:10It's rumored to start at around $125,000.

03:15Sure that's a steep price compared to your average cruise ship crossing the Drake Passage,

03:20but here's the thing.

03:21It's about 20 times faster.

03:24A cruise ship takes two days from Chile, while Antarctic Airways gets you there in just two

03:29hours.

03:31Air travel to Antarctica is pretty limited, likely due to the high costs, limited seating,

03:37and the logistical challenges that come with flying to such a remote location.

03:41Plus flights can often be delayed because of bad weather.

03:46Most travelers opt for a quick day trip or an overnight stay on King George Island, usually

03:51aboard smaller Beechcraft King Air 300 aircraft.

03:55The experience typically includes a stroll to a research station and a boat ride to see

03:59nearby penguin colonies.

04:01But that's just scratching the surface of what Antarctica has to offer.

04:07But once you're aboard Antarctic Airways, you'll see it's just like a regular flight

04:11on a smaller plane.

04:13You'll be served meals that have received some pretty good reviews.

04:17There are even photos floating around online showcasing the food, and honestly, it looks

04:21awesome!

04:23Those who've experienced it say it's luxurious yet unpretentious.

04:27You'll get a mix of meats and cheeses, plus treats like tiramisu, salmon salad, a single

04:33after-eight chocolate, and a selection of quality street candies.

04:38Today, everything may seem cool and safe, but back in the day, there were some pretty

04:43tragic events.

04:46On November 28, 1979, Air New Zealand Flight 901 tragically collided with Mount Erebus

04:53on Ross Island, Antarctica.

04:55Unfortunately, all 237 passengers and 20 crew members aboard lost their lives that

05:01day.

05:02Since 1977, Air New Zealand had been running regular sightseeing flights over Antarctica.

05:09This particular flight took off from Auckland Airport in the morning, with plans to spend

05:13several hours exploring the stunning Antarctic landscape before heading back to Auckland

05:18via Christchurch that evening.

05:21Initially, the inquiry into the incident pointed the finger at pilot error.

05:26However, growing public concern led to the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry

05:31for a deeper investigation.

05:34The commission found that the crash had been primarily due to a change in the flight path

05:38coordinates made the night before, which the flight crew hadn't been informed about.

05:43As a result, instead of being guided by the computer down McMurdo Sound as they were led

05:49to believe, the aircraft was mistakenly redirected toward Mount Erebus.

05:56In a way, this flight looks like modern one-day Antarctic tours.

06:00Flight 901 was marketed as a unique sightseeing adventure, complete with a knowledgeable Antarctic

06:06guide who highlighted various scenic spots and landmarks through the plane's public

06:10address system, while passengers enjoyed a low-altitude tour of McMurdo Sound.

06:16These flights operated as day trips, taking off from New Zealand and returning on the

06:20same day.

06:22The plane departed from Auckland International Airport at 8am, aiming to land in Antarctica,

06:27with a scheduled return to Christchurch International Airport by 7pm.

06:33The total journey covered about 5,360 miles, including a 45-minute stop in Christchurch

06:39for refueling and crew changes before completing the final 464 miles back to Auckland, arriving

06:46at 9pm.

06:48Back in November 1979, tickets for these flights were priced at $359 per person, which is over

06:55$2,150 in today's money.

07:00Anyway, this tragedy isn't the reason why planes don't fly over the South Pole.

07:05The real culprits are weather, ETOPS regulations, and of course, penguins.

07:10Yep, those cool, friendly little creatures – friendly, at least according to researchers

07:16With no natural predators on land, all of them are in the water.

07:19They're not really afraid of people and actually seem to enjoy our company.

07:24The South Pole is completely uninhabited and packed with penguins, making it pretty tricky

07:29to build anything down there.

07:32By the way, the North Pole actually allows planes to fly over it.

07:37Not too long ago, there were direct flights from Copenhagen to both LA and Tokyo, operated

07:42by SAS, and they cruised right over the North Pole.

07:46Other airlines joined in too.

07:47For example, Emirates ran a flight from Dubai to LA that took the same route.

07:54The difference in air traffic between the two poles mainly comes down to where people

07:57live and how much land there is.

08:00Roughly 88-90% of the world's population hangs out in the Northern Hemisphere, while

08:06only about 10-12% call the Southern Hemisphere home.

08:10Most folks in the South are clustered around the equator in places like Indonesia, Central

08:15Africa, and Brazil.

08:18When it comes to flights heading to the South Pole, options are pretty limited.

08:22You mainly have routes connecting New Zealand and Australia, parts of Southern South America,

08:27and a few spots in Southern Africa, especially South Africa.

08:32There aren't really any direct flights over the South Pole, though some flights can get

08:36close to Antarctica.

08:37One possible route could connect Auckland, New Zealand to Cape Town, South Africa, but

08:42there aren't any scheduled flights for that right now.

08:45The few flights that came close to Antarctica are operated by Qantas and LATAM Airlines,

08:51linking Australia with Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile.

08:55In 2021, Qantas took a long detour over parts of Antarctica on a flight from Buenos Aires

09:01to Darwin, and in July 2023, they adjusted a route closer to the continent to dodge some

09:06fierce headwinds on a trip from Santiago to Sydney.

09:11That's it for today!

09:15So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your

09:19friends!

09:20Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!

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