After sea route, Goa now has air link for India’s Antarctic expeditions

Panaji: It is not every day that a Soviet-era, four-engine behemoth lands in Goa. And a flight from the Manohar International Airport to the icy south? Never. This milestone was notched on Oct 2, when the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) sent 18 tonnes of equipment to Antarctica.The massive IL-76 cargo plane, nicknamed Gajraj, lifted off from Mopa on India’s first direct air cargo flight to Antarctica. The historic expedition carries essential supplies, including medicines, food, and scientific equipment for Indian scientists stationed at the Bharati and Maitri research stations.“This direct route strengthens India’s self-reliant polar logistics and underscores our commitment to cutting-edge Antarctic research. The cargo will support ongoing scientific research in glaciology, oceanography, and climate studies at stations like Bharati and Maitri,” NCPOR director Thamban Meloth said.Prior to this, NCPOR sent scientific equipment on ships, which took close to 40 days with stops at Cape Town. The flight is expected to reduce transit time and ensure timely delivery of provisions.NCPOR reached out to the Dronning Maud Land Air Network Project (DROMLAN) to charter an IL-76 aircraft. The mission strengthens Goa’s role as a gateway for India’s polar research and expeditions.DROMLAN is a coordinated logistics treaty linking research stations operated by 11 countries in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica. It provides shared air transport to reduce costs and improve access, with flights typically operating from Cape Town International Airport to Troll Airfield, which is close to Norway’s Troll research station. The Troll Airfield runway is nothing but a 3.3-km stretch of hardened blue ice. Large aircraft such as the Ilyushin-76 cargo planes use special low-pressure tyres and controlled landing speeds to distribute weight and grip the frozen surface.NCPOR operates two year-round stations, Maitri and Bharati, in Antarctica for scientists to carry out research activities. Entry and exit to Antarctica, due to its peculiar geographic position, is restricted between Nov and March.This is the first time an IL-76 strategic airlifter, famed for its heavy-lift capabilities, has landed and taken off from the new airport. The IL-76 is the third specialised cargo flight handled at Manohar International Airport in the past two years.“There will be similar flights in future seasons, but it also depends upon the quantum of cargo, budgets, financial viability, etc. As these are chartered flights and there is no other user in India, the flight came exclusively for NCPOR and it came empty and only took our cargo,” said an NCPOR official.The expedition was handled by GMR Goa Air Cargo Logistics (GGACL).