Germany-based charter airline USC Airlines has begun operating regular flights from Cape Town, South Africa, to the Wolf’s Fang ice runway in Antarctica. The flights are operated using an Airbus A340-600 registered D-AUSY, which previously served in Lufthansa’s fleet.
The flights are being conducted under a five-year agreement with British tour operator White Desert, which specializes in luxury travel experiences to Antarctica. Following the approximately 5.5-hour flight from Cape Town, passengers are transferred to their accommodation camps aboard Basler BT-67 or Twin Otter aircraft. These operations were previously carried out by Portuguese airline Hi Fly using Airbus A340-300 aircraft.
Although this marks USC Airlines’ first flight to Antarctica, the Airbus A340-600 has landed on the continent before. In November 2025, an A340-600 operated by European Cargo conducted a cargo flight to the Wolf’s Fang ice runway. The aircraft type was recorded as the largest aircraft ever to land in Antarctica.
