Back in 2018, Hi Fly received a frosty reception in New Zealand when its aircraft and crew were accused of providing "sub-par service" on aircraft "filled with rubbish".
The European airline was operating temporary replacement flights for Air New Zealand while it dealt with a shortage of aircraft due to technical issues with its Dreamliners at the time.
Now the airline has received an even colder reception, but this time it was expected and is being celebrated.
Hi Fly flew an A340-300 from Cape Town to Antarctica, making it the first Airbus A340 to land on the icy continent ever.
Captain Carlos Mirpuri and his crew flew the widebody aircraft for its 2500 nautical mile trip, taking just over five hours each way.
The aircraft will be used this season to fly a small number of tourists, alongside scientists and essential cargo to Antarctica.
The aircraft's four engines give it an advantage over other long-haul aircraft, with plenty of back-up power should an engine malfunction while in a location so far from land.
Captain Mirpuri said despite all of the delicate planning, the flight was almost put off due to a most common aviation problem: Birds.
"We lined up on runway 01 but had to pause for a moment before launching; I spotted intense bird activity over the runway and asked the tower to roll the truck in charge of scaring them out, and eventually they moved out of the way. The last thing we want is a bird strike and potential engine damage on any flight," he said.
