When tracking a long-haul flight on a map, it is common to see aircraft flying far north, sometimes appearing to pass close to the North Pole. Routes between North America, Europe, and Asia routinely cross Greenland, northern Canada, or the Arctic Ocean. At the same time, scheduled commercial flights almost never cross Antarctica, even when connecting cities in the Southern Hemisphere.

While both regions are remote and extreme, only one has become a practical and economically viable corridor for modern commercial aviation. In this article, we will take a closer look at why aircraft do not fly over Antarctica, considering factors such as the shape of the Earth, global travel demand, safety regulations, infrastructure availability, and operational risk.

The Shape Of The Earth

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Aircraft do not fly according to the straight lines shown on flat maps. Instead, they follow great circle routes, which represent the shortest distance between two points on the surface of a sphere. On commonly used map projections, these routes appear curved, often bending toward the poles. In the Northern Hemisphere, many of the world’s most important long-haul city pairs are positioned in such a way that the shortest path naturally passes over high latitudes.

Flights linking major airports such as New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND), or Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) often find that a transarctic route. This reduces total distance by hundreds of miles compared with lower-latitude alternatives.

These savings translate directly into reduced fuel burn, shorter flight times, and lower operating costs. Given the routes involved and the geography of their primary hubs, major airlines such as Cathay Pacific, All Nippon Airways, and Korean Air are among the carriers operating regular transarctic flights.

In the Southern Hemisphere, the geometry works differently. Major cities such as Sydney, Johannesburg, Santiago de Chile, and Auckland are positioned in a way that great circle routes between them do curve southward, but usually not far enough to make an Antarctic crossing worthwhile. In most cases, the shortest route remains over open ocean rather than over the Antarctic continent itself.

Global Travel Demand

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The Arctic’s role in global aviation is reinforced by the concentration of passenger demand in the Northern Hemisphere. North America, Europe, and Asia together account for the vast majority of the world’s air travel, both in terms of passengers and cargo. As a result, the airspace connecting these regions is among the busiest on Earth, supporting frequent long-haul services, dense traffic flows, and highly optimized intercontinental routes.

Other airlines, such as United Airlines, Air Canada, and Lufthansa, also operate regular long-haul services that cross the Arctic, linking major financial centers and population hubs. Routes such as Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) and Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) to Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) rely on polar shortcuts to remain competitive in both cost and schedule.

Antarctica, by contrast, has no commercial population and no passenger demand. There is no origin or destination market to justify regular airline service, and very few city pairs would benefit meaningfully from an Antarctic crossing. Without this demand, there is little incentive for airlines to accept the added operational complexity such routes would require, particularly given the high costs, regulatory hurdles, and safety considerations involved.

ETOPS Constraints

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Modern long-haul operations are governed by strict safety regulations, particularly ETOPS rules. These regulations limit how far a twin-engine aircraft may be from a suitable diversion airport in the event of an engine failure or other emergency. Depending on certification, modern aircraft such as the Boeing 787 or Airbus A350 may operate up to 180, 240, or even 330 minutes from an alternate airport.

ETOPS has enabled efficient long-haul routes over oceans and polar regions, while still ensuring crews always have a realistic and approved diversion option available. In the Arctic, suitable diversion airports are scattered across North America, Greenland, Iceland, and northern Europe.

Airports such as Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) and Fairbanks International Airport (FAI) in Alaska, Iqaluit Airport (YFB) in Canada, Keflavík International Airport (KEF) in Iceland, and Svalbard Airport (LYR) in Norway are certified, maintained, and regularly used by commercial operators. While conditions at these airports can be challenging, they provide essential safety coverage for polar routes.

Antarctica offers no comparable network. The continent has a small number of research and military airstrips, many of which are built on ice and operate only seasonally, but these facilities are not certified for commercial aircraft operations and are highly dependent on weather and surface conditions. From an ETOPS perspective, Antarctica represents an area with virtually no viable diversion options, making it unsuitable for routine airline flight planning.

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Environmental Challenges

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Although both polar regions are cold, the Antarctic environment is significantly more extreme. It is the coldest and windiest continent on Earth, with temperatures that can drop below -60°C and winds capable of creating severe turbulence and whiteout conditions. Forecasting weather over the Antarctic interior is also more difficult due to the lack of observation stations and supporting infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the Arctic, while still harsh, benefits from surrounding landmasses and oceans that moderate conditions to some extent. Decades of aviation experience, combined with better meteorological coverage, allow airlines to plan Arctic operations with a higher degree of confidence, supported by established infrastructure, diversion airports, and reliable forecasting across the region.

Extended periods of darkness also pose challenges. During the Southern Hemisphere winter, Antarctica experiences months of near-total darkness, which would complicate emergency landings and rescue operations. For commercial airlines, these environmental risks represent unacceptable uncertainties when compared with established Arctic routes.

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The Impact Of History

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Commercial polar flying is a relatively recent development, as early aircraft often lacked the range, reliability, and navigation systems required to operate safely over remote regions. Flying over the Arctic only became viable with the arrival of long-range widebody aircraft and advanced navigation systems, improved cold-weather performance, satellite communications, and regulatory frameworks that allowed airlines to manage risks in some of the world’s most isolated airspace.

The Cold War played a significant role in accelerating Arctic operations. Military planners recognized that the shortest routes between North America and the Soviet Union passed over the Arctic, leading to significant investment in polar navigation and infrastructure. These advances later benefited commercial aviation, particularly from the 1990s onward, when airlines such as Northwest Airlinespioneered transpolar routes between the US and Asia.

Using long-range aircraft such as the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and later the Boeing 747-400, Northwest Airlines launched non-stop services from airports such as Detroit (DTW) and Minneapolis (MSP) to the likes of Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT), Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK), and Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG). These flights reduced journey times, cut fuel burn, and helped establish polar flying as a normal part of global airline operations.

By contrast, Antarctica never experienced a similar strategic or commercial push, and with no geopolitical pressure and no economic justification, the continent remained outside the development path of mainstream airline operations, remaining largely the preserve of military, scientific, and tightly controlled expeditionary flying.

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Flights Near, But Not Over, Antarctica

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While scheduled airline flights do not cross Antarctica, some long-haul routes in the Southern Hemisphere pass far enough south to offer distant views of the continent. For example, services operated by Qantas between Sydney Airport (SYD) in Australia and Santiago Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL) in Chile, and by LATAM between its Chilean hub and Auckland Airport (AKL), sometimes approach Antarctic airspace depending on winds and routing.

Both of these are operated by the Boeing 787-9, which is capable of flying long distances thanks to its high operational efficiency. The cabin configurations found onboard the 787-9s operated by both Qantas and LATAM, per aeroLOPA, are outlined in the table below. Specialized flights do operate to Antarctica, but these are limited to research, logistics, and controlled tourism. Military and scientific missions use aircraft such as the C-17 or ski-equipped LC-130 to supply research stations.

Tourist and expedition flights, often using smaller aircraft, operate under strict regulations and are not comparable to routine commercial airline service. One of the most well-known Antarctic sightseeing flights was Air New Zealand flight 901, which crashed in November 1979. The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 was operating a scenic flight from Auckland to Antarctica and back, carrying passengers on a low-level sightseeing route over the continent.

While descending near Mount Erebus on Ross Island, the aircraft struck the mountainside, killing all 257 people on board. Investigations later found that a last-minute navigation coordinate change, combined with whiteout conditions, caused the crew to believe they were flying over flat ice rather than rising terrain. The accident ended Air New Zealand’s Antarctic sightseeing flights and highlighted the unique risks of Antarctic aviation.