Originally Posted by
Kiwi Flyer
The Antarctic overflights are treated as domestic, but then they don't land. Since no country owns any part of Antarctica (by treaty) I don't think it would qualify as domestic, and since not landing in a different country (Antarctica isnt a country in its own right) it isn't an international flight either!
Point of no return - I believe so. While there are a small number of airfields on the coast of Antarctica (and even smaller number inland), there is no practical alternate airfield for the flights once they get much south of Tasmania and NZ. IIRC if an a/c heading for Antarctic base cannot land at that base for whatever reason, they have to head to another Antarctic airfield and hope conditions there permit a landing. That is one reason (of several) why there are no mid-winter landings at Antarctica - too high a risk of having no safe airfield to land at.
If it were domestic then imagine the people smuggling racket that would soon be in operation. Boat down to Antartica from South America, overland to the Australian airfield then hop on a domestic flight back to the mainland we would be overrun with illegal immigrants, better yet we could build a detention centre in Antartica
With the distance/time involved wouldn't there be an ETOPS issue or does this only apply to commerical flights?