Would you look at that? People flying over Antarctica. Weird huh?
There's a couple good reason most flights don't cross Antarctica. Number 1. 68% of landmass is in the northern hemisphere. Obviously with most land mass in the north. More flights will be in the north. And crossing the north pole is an easy way to get around. There simply is much less land mass in the south. Which means less cities. Which means less flights. Especially the further south you go. Number 2. Because of the less land mass near the Antarctic. There's no real reason to fly across it. In fact many flights would be LONGER if they went over the south pole. There's only one route that would be shorter, and no airline flies it. So they don't bother. And many airlines actually do end up flying "over" Antarctica. If there is a prevailing wind their flight path may be pushed over. QF 63 is a flight that will occasionally cross Antarctica. Number 3. There are only so many jets that can legally fly a certain distance from an airport. Twin engine planes can't cross Antarctica because they must always be within a certain distance of an airport. Which oddly enough Antarctica isn't covered in. This is to always try and have the plane in range for any kind of emergency landing. To avoid water landing/crashes/accidents/death/destruction/lawsuits/etc. It's called ETOPS. Four engine planes are not bound by this. And that's why you'll see them flying over Antartica.
