Antarctic team searching for airfield site start testing on blue ice sheet

China's 35th Antarctic expedition team have begun a feasibility study into building an airfield on a large sheet of blue ice.

The area is 10 kilometers southwest of China's base camp near Zhongshan Station, which is located on the shore of Prydz Bay in East Antarctica and near the Russian Progress II Station.

Blue ice is some of the oldest and densest ice in Antarctica. Due to its hard surface, the ice is suitable for building runways where aircraft fitted with wheels rather than skis can land.

An investigation is ongoing into whether the area is ideal for an airfield, said Guo Xiaodong, head of media relations at the Shanghai-based Polar Research Institute of China, which oversees Arctic and Antarctic expeditions.

The 35th expedition's mission is to scout possible sites for China's first airfield for fixed-wing planes. Antarctica already has eight blue ice airfields.

Chinese researchers have been drilling samples from the blue ice to check the thickness, according to a Xinhua News Agency report.

"Blue ice has good bearing capacity, impact resistance and stability," the report quoted expedition team leader Sun Bo as saying.

"China's large transport aircraft, the Y-20, and Airbus' and Boeing's long-range commercial planes can all take off and land on blue ice runways without modifying their landing gear."