An Australian crew evacuated an American from Antarctica to New Zealand
An Australian crew transported a U.S. citizen from the U.S. McMurdo Station in Antarctica to a hospital in Christchurch, New Zealand, during a rare medical evacuation in the midst of the Antarctic winter. The U.S. National Science Foundation told ABC that the patient was hospitalized in serious condition.
An Airbus A319 Long Range aircraft, call sign Snowbird 1, departed from Hobart, Australia, on July 31 for McMurdo Station following an urgent request for assistance. According to Skytraders, a Melbourne-based company that owns the aircraft, the plane landed at Phoenix Airfield near the station after a flight lasting five hours and 30 minutes.
The landing took place in the dark at temperatures as low as minus 43 degrees Celsius. On the same day, the American was transported to Christchurch as weather conditions at the Antarctic airfield were deteriorating. Skytraders operates under contract with the Australian Antarctic Division.
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Emma Campbell, head of the Australian Antarctic Division, described the operation as challenging and highlighted the capabilities of the mission participants and the partnerships between the Antarctic programs of various countries. The Division also reported that the patient continues to receive medical care in Christchurch.
Co-pilot Louise Robertson said the conditions were close to the aircraft’s limits. The flight to the base on the Ross Ice Shelf, scheduled for the previous day, was canceled due to a snowstorm. New Zealand’s Ministry of Health did not comment on the patient’s condition or specify whether he is still in the hospital.
The sun set at the geographic South Pole on March 23 and is not expected to rise again until September 21.
