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Australia, China and the United States have collaborated in a mission to medically evacuate an Australian expeditionary from Antarctica.
The operation lasted five days, used ships, helicopters and planes, and traveled thousands of kilometers across the frozen continent.
The director of the Australian Antarctic Division, Kim Ellis, described it as one of the most complex and challenging medical evacuations his team has carried out in recent years.
The ailing Australian was at Davis Research Station in East Antarctica when the operation began.
By chance, a Chinese icebreaker was traveling to a nearby Chinese research station.
Their helicopters were sent to Casey to transport several Australians from Davis to a site 40 km inland to build a ski track so that an American plane could land.
Meanwhile, an American Basler plane equipped with skis was being prepared.
He flew 2,200 km from McMurdo Research Station to Australia’s Wilkins Airfield near Casey Station to pick up an Australian doctor.
The plane then flew to the skifield near Davis to pick up the patient and return to Wilkins airfield.
The journey between Wilkins and Davis was a 2,800 km round trip.
An Australian Airbus A319 airliner was ready at Wilkins to pick up the patient, who was flown to Hobart on December 24.
Australia does not have intracontinental aircraft equipped to ski in Antarctica at this time.
In a video statement, Ellis said the operation involved a “massive level of multinational cooperation” and “really reflects the best of that multinational activity happening in Antarctica.”
He singled out the Australian expedition members for praise citing their “courage, stamina and ability to deploy to these remote airways and ski fields” to allow evacuation to occur.
The patient’s illness is not related to Covid-19. No further details of his condition have been released.
The team was lucky to have good weather during the five days of operation.
