Why do planes never fly over Antarctica?

Thanks to the low visibility and undeveloped infrastructure, flying over Antarctica is extremely difficult. Specifically, because of the strong magnetic fields that surround the polar regions, navigating there, no matter how well-equipped the airplane is in terms of instrumentation, can be particularly challenging.



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The short answer is, no, it's not illegal to fly over Antarctica. But there are practical considerations that make it challenging for regular airlines to navigate across the land. In many parts of Antarctica, there's limited or no infrastructure, no landing strips, and obviously no refuelling stations for planes.

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There are no economically significant routes that would require flying over Antarctica. The southern hemisphere has a much smaller population than the northern, and there's almost no permanent habitation more than 45 degrees south.

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That makes it almost impossibly difficult for tourists to visit Antarctica on their own. It's also less enjoyable – organised tours to Antarctica work with some of the best guides and scientists in the business. You wouldn't get nearly as much out of it if you went to Antarctica by yourself.

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The longest over water route in the world is the stretch between the U.S. mainland and Hawaii. Even between Hawaii and Tokyo there are alternate airports available, such as Midway Island (hence the name “Midway”). Going across the North Atlantic, alternates include Iceland and Greenland.

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While it all comes down to your preferences, daytime flying has the upper hand when it comes to visibility. Because of the sunlight, any possible obstructions, such as rocks or mountains, are far easier to spot, making the likelihood of accidents much less and daytime flying the safer option by far.

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Overwater flights are dispatched with ETOPS requirements in mind to ensure that a diversion airport is always within reach, assuming that the engine failure or shut down doesn't lead to other problems with the aircraft.

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