16 August
2006 - The new 'blue ice' runway which will enable
Australia for the first time to be bridged to
Antarctica for large aircraft travel is nearing
completion in preparation for trial flights later
this year, the Minister for the Environment and
Heritage, Senator Ian Campbell, said today.
Construction on the 4 km ice
runway - the largest runway in Australia - has
been underway since last year.
Senator Campbell said that the
Wilkins ice runway, part of the Australian Government’s
$43.6 million intercontinental Antarctic airlink
commitment, is nearing completion in preparation
for initial demonstration flights in December.
Teams of expeditioners have
been working on the runway for weeks at a time
over the past year, sometimes in freezing temperatures
hovering around -40°C.
A runway construction team will
arrive in early October to continue proof rolling
and compacting the runway surface ahead of the
trial flights.
Senator Campbell said the direct
five-hour airlink has been a long-held dream of
researchers and support personnel, particularly
those who cannot afford to spend weeks at sea.
“The new air transport service
will provide a far more efficient way of getting
people to and from Antarctica,” Senator Campbell
said.
“This new service will certainly
change the way we engage with Antarctica and while
the new airlink is designed specifically for research
purposes, I am sure it will prompt much discussion
about future plans for an expanded tourism industry
to the frozen continent.
“We already know that thousands
of tourists visit Antarctica every year. It is
predicted that around 200,000 people will visit
Antarctica each year leaving from South America
alone over the next 20 years,” he said.
Announced as part of the Australian
Government's $3.2 billion commitment to the environment
in the 2004-05 Budget, the Australia-Antarctica
intercontinental airlink will ensure Australia
remains an international leader, by supporting
and enhancing our research capabilities.
Senator Campbell said a decision
on an aircraft for the coming season’s test flights
would be announced soon.
Rob Broadfield
