2001-2017
The overseas flights
2001, 27 January
Medivac emergency flight from South Pole to Christchurch
This flight was made by a ski-equipped USAF Hercules aircraft to bring Thomas O Wotnitza to hospital for treatment. Covers have South Pole Station cachet on reverse and arrival datestamp on front of APO AP 96531, Christchurch.
2001, 26 April
Medical emergency flight Christchurch-McMurdo & return
This flight was made by an RNZAF Hercules. Covers were datestamped at the Ross Dependency Agency, Christchurch.
2001, 19 November
SAFEAIR support flight from Christchurch to Antarctica for Italian Research Programme
This flight was made by an L382-G Hercules and the covers were datestamped with the Ross Dependency Agency, Christchurch postmark.
2003, 17 January
Medical emergency flight from McMurdo to Christchurch
Covers were postmarked at McMurdo Station on 17 Jan and have a Christchurch Mail Center arrival datestamp of 22 Jan.
2004, 13 April
Medical emergency flight Christchurch-McMurdo & return
This flight was made by USAF C141 Starlifter. Covers were datestamped with the Ross Dependency Agency, Christchurch postmark.
2004, 27 December
Russian Ilyushin 76 flight from Christchurch to Antarctica
A small number of airmail postcards were signed by the Russian flight crew and flown to McMurdo Station. Some were datestamped at the American APO in Christchurch, some with the Christchurch NZ cds and others with the Ross Dependency Agency, Christchurch postmark.
2005, 5-12 January
Russian flights from South Pole-McMurdo-Christchurch
Post cards were datestamped at the South Pole APO AP 96598 on 5th Jan and flown to McMurdo by an Antonov-3t, from where they were flown to Christchurch on board the Ilyushin 76. A backstamp from McMurdo is dated 12 Jan.
2005, 3 February
Last flight of C141 Starlifter Christchurch-McMurdo
Some airmail postcards, with a photo of the first Starlifter landing in the Antarctic in 1966, were datestamped at the USAF APO 96531 on 3 Feb and flown by an US Air Force Starlifter.
2006, 16 January
First Antarctic landing by Orion
A P3-L Orion NMO 621 piloted by Capt S Nielson landed on the Pegasus Ice Runway. Some of the commemorative covers were prepared and are datestamped at the Ross Dependency Agency, Christchurch on 18 Jan.
2007, 7 March
South Pole-Christchurch-North Pole-Dusseldorf
German illustrated APCD International Polar Year cacheted covers were flown South Pole-William’s Field-Christchurch-Frankfurt-Dusseldorf-North Pole-Dusseldorf, in an Airbus A330-220. A New Zealand $1.50 Scott Base stamp, issued on 20 January, was cancelled 7 March Christchurch on these covers. The North Pole flight sector occurred from 1 to 9 May 2007.
2007, 19 November
Airbus test flights to Antarctica
In November an Airbus A319LR made a number of flights from Christchurch to McMurdo and landed on the white ice runway at the Pegasus airfield. Various covers and cards exist datestamped at Hobart, Christchurch and McMurdo on various dates from 14 to 22 November.
2007, 17 December
Globemaster experimental airdrop at South Pole
The USAF sent a Globemaster from Christchurch to the Amundsen Scott South Pole Station to make a drop. Covers exist datestamped at NZ Post, Lyttelton and US APO CHC.
2008, 4-5 September
First spring flight to Antarctica
A USAF C17 Globemaster made this flight and carried cards datestamped at Christchurch 4-5 September.
2008, 12 September
First night vision flight to Antarctica
A C17 Globemaster made this medical emergency flight from Christchurch to McMurdo and covers exist datestamped at McMurdo Station 12 Sep.
2008, 5 November
Christchurch-William's Field-Davis & return
A medical emergency evacuation flight by the 109th Airlift Wing at Stratton Air National Guard Base in Glenville, N.Y. to evacuate Dwayne Rooke with badly fractured ankles and pelvis at Australia’s Davis Antarctic Base, some 1600 miles from McMurdo. The specialist American Team was diverted to assist after flying from Christchurch-William’s Field. The rescue operation took 2 days and the covers were flown on the Lockheed C-130H Hercules.
2011, 16 February
Christchurch-Pegasus Skiway
Disaster Memorial Flight by RNZAF Boeing 757-200 took family members etc., of the victims of the 1979 Mt Erebus crash. Souvenir cards postmarked 16 February at Christchurch were flown.
2012, 12 January
Pegasus Skiway-Christchurch
A medical emergency evacuation flight by a ski-equipped Lockheed C-130H Hercules operated by the New York Air National Guard, flew injured Korean fishermen from the trawler Jeong Wong #2, after being rescued from their burning boat in the Ross Sea by research vessel Nathaniel B Palmer. After collecting the survivors, Nathaniel B Palmer sailed for McMurdo Sound, and the injured fishermen were transferred by helicopter to McMurdo Station prior to being flown from Pegasus Skiway to Christchurch.
Illustrated cacheted covers postmarked 12 January McMurdo Station, were later cancelled on arrival in Christchurch.
2012, 1 October
Dubai-Melbourne-Auckland & return
Cacheted Souvenir covers carried on inaugural Emirates A380 Airbus were postmarked 1 October in Dubai & 2 October in Auckland.
2012, 5 October
Christchurch-Pegasus-Skiway
5 October trial Christchurch-Pegasus ice runway flight by Air New Zealand Boeing 767-300 flew cacheted covers postmarked 4 October, Christchurch. These were backstamped McMurdo Station 7 October.
2014, 7 February
Christchurch-William's Field
Cacheted souvenir covers cancelled at the American postal facility in Christchurch on 7 February were flown on a USAF C-130 Hercules to Antarctica.
2015, 30 April & 2 May
Auckland-Sydney & return
To mark the 75th anniversary of TEAL’s first Sydney-Auckland and return flights, souvenir covers and postcards with privately produced cachets were prepared. The Australian covers bore a commemorative “100 Years of Air Mail in Australia” airmail label.
2017, 26 April
Frankfurt-Hong Kong-Auckland & return
Lufthansa & Cathay Pacific commenced code-share flights. Airbus cacheted souvenir covers were produced by Lufthansa, flown from Frankfurt on 26 April and postmarked on arrival in Auckland on 28 April. 26 April covers cancelled in Auckland received Frankfurt arrival cancels of 27 April.