Chimu announces the launch of a new scenic flights program with a difference. The program, named ‘Great Southern Flights’, will focus on flying travellers to witness landscapes and phenomena that lie over and beyond the Southern Ocean, all leaving from and returning to, various capital cities around Australia.Itineraries in the new program will all take place on chartered Qantas 787-9 Dreamliners. They will include a second season of flights to the Southern Lights, where travellers fly into the Southern Auroral Zone overnight, to witness the Aurora Australis from the air, plus a new series of Antarctic scenic day flights, including a world first flight over the South Pole, direct from Australia.
With closed borders, like many contemporary travel companies, Chimu have had to reinvent the way they run adventures, whilst remaining true to their core. Until 2020 put a tourist barricade over international runways, they had enjoyed 16 years of taking travellers across the Southern Ocean, from South America, for adventures to Antarctica. So, with the invent of Chimu’s Great Southern Flights, they have been able to continue their journey of discovery across this austral wonder without effectively leaving the country.
The invent of the expedition flight over the South Pole from Australia was the brainchild of Chimu Co-founder, Chad Carey.
“Spending the past 16 years, cruising and flying to the stunning coastal areas of East and West Antarctica, left me with a burning desire to get a firsthand feel for the vast expanses of inland Antarctica. To truly grasp the scale of the feats achieved by the heroes of the Antarctic age of exploration, specifically during the race to the South Pole, undertaken by explorers Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott.” Said Chad Carey, Co-founder of Chimu Adventures.
“After researching Qantas’ direct Perth to London route, it looked like the 787-9 aircraft could fly to the South Pole and back in a day. I reached out to Qantas and shared my thoughts for an Australian first scenic flight to the South Pole.” Said Carey.
And so, the South Pole Expedition Flight was born. A first of its kind, it will leave Australia on the 27th of November 2021. A true adventure, this journey will focus on history and the vastness of the white continent.
Further research shows that Chimu’s director is not the only traveller yearning to experience the vastness of inland Antarctica. The flights have been applauded by past travellers who promptly pencilled their names on the manifest waiting for the flight to open for general sale.
Chimu will also offer travellers a bird’s eye view of the coast and mountain ranges of East Antarctica where history was made by the great explorers and, today, researchers still live and work. These flights award the traveller with incredible vistas of ice formations, frigid mountain ranges and dramatic coastlines carved out of ice.
Lead by Antarctica and Astronomy experts, Great Southern Flights will offer the avid Antarctica traveller a full circle experience on the back of their Antarctic cruise adventures, whilst also offering those who have never cast eyes on anything further south than Australia, the opportunity to witness these extraordinary locations without effectively leaving their home country.
“Chimu have some of the most experienced staff when it comes to Antarctic knowledge, when we couple that with our partnerships with local Australian astronomers, we are delivering more than a birds eye view, these journeys will be all encompassing and educational.” Said Chad Carey.
For several years Chimu have offered their travellers itineraries to the North Pole on a nuclear-powered Icebreaker, now with the addition of the South Pole Expedition flight, it positions Chimu as the first tour operator in the world to offer affordable travel experiences to both poles.
All flights will be carbon offset and will fundraise to support Chimu’s not for profit arm, the MAD Project.
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