China Does A Pole Vault; Set To Establish Airport In Antarctica 

China is all set to build the first permanent airport in the South Pole which aims at providing logistical support to scientists and enhancing airspace management in the resource-rich Antarctic.

The airport is to be expected to be built along the ice sheet, 28 kms from the China-built Zhongshan station in the Antarctic region and for this major task the 35th China's Antarctic expedition will leave on November 2.

Director of Polar Strategy Centre at the Polar Research Institute of China, Zhang Xia said, “The new airport allows medium and large transport aircraft, like Boeing planes, to take off and land in the South Pole, shortening transport time as well as enhancing efficiency” as reported by India Today.

This development comes with a lot of advantages.The airport will decrease the exposure time of researchers in the polar environment, as well as medical aid time and since the sea ice is melting due to global warming the region is becoming a development hot spot for natural resources such as silver, gold, platinum, and coal. According to the US Geological Survey the Arctic Circle may hold about 30 percent of the world's undiscovered gas.

On being asked about the challenges that the authorities will face while constructing the airport, Zhang said, “Around 99.5 percent of the polar land is covered with accumulations of thick snow leading to a lack of hardness to build an airport”.