As expressed today by the chief of the General Staff of the Argentine Air Force, Brigadier Fernando Mengo, the force is finishing carrying out feasibility studies to begin Antarctic operations with Saab 340 aircraft, which would be carried out on the new runway of the Petrel Base, which is in its final phase of preparation.
The first tests would be carried out next Friday, February 23, operating at the Frei Base of the Chilean Air Force and then in Petrel, to carry out the first official flight at the beginning of March.
The objective, as indicated, is to carry out the first flights, linking the American continent with said Antarctic base, in the coming weeks, and it would be the culmination of the tests that were carried out between 2022 and 2023 for the operation of the aircraft on unprepared runways. With them, flights could be made to transfer personnel without requiring the C-130 Hercules.
The Petrel Base track will allow operation without the need for skis, while it will have fewer meteorological limitations than the Marambio track, which makes it more suitable for operation.
