Winter-darkness Antarctic rescue ferries patient to New Zealand hospital
An Australian air crew flew an American from McMurdo Station, Antarctica to Christchurch, NZ in a rare midwinter medical evacuation aboard an Airbus A319 LR (Snowbird 1). The five-and-a-half-hour flight from Hobart to the Phoenix Airfield near McMurdo occurred in near-darkness at minus 43 C; weather later worsened, prompting the transfer to Christchurch Hospital where the patient was reported in serious condition. The mission showcased international Antarctic cooperation and pushed the aircraft toward its cold-weather limits.
