Rothera International Airport

A mid-season visit. The plane crashed on take-off last year and was repaired in situ before being flown out

ALCI Basler C-GEAI after repairs

BAS Twin Otter leaving northbound (no skis)

The view from the lab window

BAS Dash 7 landing

Borek Basler in Canadian colours

Borek Twin Otter

Perhaps a tad on the snowy side

ALCI Basler

AWI Basler

Ken Borek Twin Otter. The nose is stubbier than the BAS Twin Otters.

Two transiting Borek Baslers

Rothera is the hub for BAS air operations across western Antarctica. As such Twin Otter flights are regular, delivering or collecting people and kit and restocking fuel depots. With wheel-skis they can land on the solid runways and on snow. The Dash 7 also flies south to Ski Blu, landing on the blue-ice runway with wheels. Early and late in the season, and sometimes in between, many planes from other operators transit through Rothera. Stopping here allows them to take off their skis before the long haul to Punta Arenas in Chile. Planes with board-skis can land on the snow skiway just off base, change to wheel-skis, hop down to base and the change again to wheels.