Whether it’s inaugural and other special flights of regular airliners, flights by vintage airliners like the Buffalo Airways C-46, or research flights done by former airliners like the NASA DC-8, I love learning them. With that, I had to flip through the photos of Norse Atlantic Airways Boeing 787 visiting Antarctica a number of times.
The flight took place on November 15, 2023, and was the type’s first visit to the continent.
Continue reading to learn more about this special flight.
Norse Atlantic Airways Flight 787
The flight, aptly numbered N0787, was operated by one of Norse’s Boeing 787-9s, LN-FNC, for the Norwegian Polar Institute. It transported research equipment and scientists from Norway to Troll research station in Antarctica.
The aircraft departed Oslo on November 13, 2023, and flew to Cape Town in South Africa. After a day and a half or so on the ground in Cape Town, it continued to its final destination, Troll Airfield.
Departing Cape Town at 11:03PM local time on November 15, 2023, it landed on Troll Airfield’s more than 3 km long blue ice runway at 2:01AM local time on November 16, 2023. Given that during this time of the year the sun never sets in Antarctica, the flight landed in broad daylight despite what the landing time might suggest. The flight took a mere five hours.
The flight departed back to Cape Town about four hours later giving its crew plenty of time to enjoy on the continent they most likely haven’t visited before. Now, the aircraft is still in Cape Town from where it will, presumably, fly back to Europe soon.
Plenty of Space for Researchers and Their Equipment
The aircraft that operated the flight is a former Norwegian Air UK airframe and is one of ten 787-9s operated by Norse. It is equipped with a total of 338 seats including 56 in premium economy in a 2-3-2 layout and 282 in economy in a 3-3-3 layout.
Given that there were only 45 passengers onboard the flight, presumably, everyone could enjoy premium economy class seats. Chances are, though, that at least some – if not all – of the scientists stretched across the three-seat rows in economy class to catch some sleep, something that cannot be done in premium economy.
In addition to the passengers, the flight also transported 12 tons of research equipment.
Commenting on the flight, Bjørn Tore Larsen, CEO of Norse Atlantic Airways, said the airline is “proud to have a hand in this important and unique mission” and that the flight was “a true testament to our highly trained and skilled pilots and crew.”
Summary
Flight N0787 which transported scientists and supplies to Troll research station in Antarctica was not only Norse Atlantic Airways’ first flight to the continent but also Boeing 787’s first flight to Antarctica. The aircraft landed on the research station’s blue ice runway at 2:01AM after a five-hour flight from Cape Town and took off again just over four hours later.
With the cabin crew being used to operating rather uneventful low-cost flights from Europe to the United States (and soon the Caribbean) and Asia, the flight to Antarctica must have been an incredible adventure for them!
