A chartered Australian Airbus A319 lands near McMurdo Station on 23 September 2010.

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September 30, 2010

On 23 September 2010, an Australian Antarctic Division Airbus A319, chartered by the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP), landed near McMurdo Station, officially kicking off the austral summer season. The commercial flight, which made its first visit to the Ice during the 2007-08 field season, took about 5 hours from Christchurch, New Zealand, and carried 49 passengers.

To read more about the first flight of the austral summer field season, see Peter Rejcek's story "Ready for Business:  Summer season begins at USAP's McMurdo Station," published on the Antarctic Sun web site at http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/

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