Twenty-two Chinese passengers were on board the flight was operated by Deer Jet, HNA Group's corporate flight subsidiary, which arrived at an Antarctic airport after a more than 20-hour journey from Hong Kong. The flight stopped to refuel at Cape Town, South Africa after a 15-hour flight.
China has landed its first commercial flight on the world’s seventh continent on December 16, marking the country’s first trip to the South Pole organised by the country.
Twenty-two Chinese passengers were on board the flight was operated by Deer Jet, HNA Group's corporate flight subsidiary, which arrived at an Antarctic airport after a more than 20-hour journey from Hong Kong. The flight stopped to refuel at Cape Town, South Africa after a 15-hour flight.
The group will go on to a five to six hour flight to reach the South Pole, the earth’s southern-most point.
The destination sees an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 visitors annually, with Chinese tourists comprising the second-largest group.
Forecasts of the number of Chinese travellers to Antartica by online travel agency Ctrip have predicted a 200 percent year-on-year increase in 2017.
Nearly 100 itineraries covering the region priced from tens of thousands of yuan to 300,000 yuan (US$45,394) are currently posted on Ctrip's website.
To reach Antarctica, Chinese travellers have previously had to go on cruises from foreign tour agencies.