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AvTalk Episode 106: How to run an airport in Antarctica

On this very special episode of AvTalk, we’re joined by Sven Lidström of the Norwegian Polar Institute to learn about Troll Research Station in Antarctica and the station’s blue ice runway.

Troll Research Station

Troll Research Station in Antarctica As the operations coordinator at the Troll Research Station in Antarctica, Lidström is in charge of making sure the polar outpost runs smoothly. Since 2005, that job has included maintaining the research station’s 3000 meter runway built into the blue ice on the glacier in front of the station. Located 250 kilometers from the edge of the ice shelf and 4,300 km from Cape Town, the nearest international airport, all of the challenges at Troll are magnified by its remote location.

For more images from Troll, see our companion blog post.

Watch video of Icelandair’s 767 arriving and departing Troll Station.

 

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