Air Operations Expert Group

Expert Group Co-Leaders: Sven Lidström & Rod Arnold

Oversight EXCOM member: Michelle Rogan-Finnemore

Terms of reference:

  • Continue to review and discuss best practice in regards to air operations, in support of improving safety of air operations in Antarctica.

  • Share and discuss operational experience and information on new technology related to Antarctic air operations and associated communication, navigation, the avoidance of mutual interference, and contingency response.

  • Review the air transport aspects of international cooperation in Antarctic science and support.

  • Continue to review developments in the use of existing or additional air links, and the use of blue ice or compacted snow landing sites.

  • Through the RPA-WG, reduce risk to people, infrastructure and environment in the Antarctic Treaty area, while enabling, in situations where allowed, RPA use in the area for scientific applications and science support purposes.

The Air Operations Expert Group includes the Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAS) and the Fuel Cache Working Groups.

The COMNAP Antarctic Flight Information Manual (AFIM)

AFIM (PDF) is now available to COMNAP Member National Antarctic Programs and their affliate organisations. Paper revision sets are no longer being produced. The final paper AFIM revision was Revision 1-14 (21 Feb 2014).

COMNAP Member National Antarctic Programs can use their Member’s username and password to access the AFIM PDF from the Member’s Only webpage of the COMNAP website at any time.

All others who wish to enquire in regards to accessing the AFIM PDF, should contact their affliate National Antarctic Program, the relevant National Competent Authority, or contact the COMNAP Secretariat. Additional information are available here. Access and subscription charges for AFIM PDF will apply.

Current AFIM PDF Release Is: COMNAP-AFIM-24-02 (18 October 2024)

Important note on AFIM and air access to Antarctica

The publication of details of the facilities, services and supplies described in the COMNAP AFIM does not imply any right of use. The facilities are established and maintained by National Antarctic Programs and other operators strictly for their own use – they are not designed or provided for use by others. Prior agreement must be obtained to use facilities maintained by another operator, and requests must comply with the procedures for coordination, approval and information described in the manual’s Appendix 2.

Furthermore, the relevant legal instruments and authorisation procedures adopted by the states party to the Antarctic Treaty regulating access to the Antarctic Treaty Area, that is to all areas between 60 and 90 degrees of latitude South, have to be complied with. For more information, contact the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat – see contact details at www.ats.aq.

The Antarctic Treaty has adopted through Resolution 2 (2004) guidelines for the operation of aircraft near concentrations of birds in Antarctica. The text of these guidelines is provided in the AFIM as Appendix 3, and can also be found in the Publications section of the COMNAP website.

Deploying RPAS in the Antarctic Treaty Area this season?

COMNAP recommends referring to the COMNAP RPAS Operators Handbook 18 December 2023 that includes guidance in relation to environmental aspects of RPA operation in the Antarctic Treaty Area. The ATCM also adopted by way of Resolution 4 (2018) “Environmental Guidelines for operation of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) in Antarctica​”.

RPAS/UAS Notice to Air Missions (NOTAMS) for Antarctica

For all planned RPAS/UAS activity in Antarctica, please refer to restrictions for flights in the worldwide Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM). This includes planned RPAS/UAS activity. Access to the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) NOTAM System is unrestricted and can be found here.

 COMNAP Antarctic Aviation Project including Workshop 2022

COMNAP convened a community-wide project on aviation safety in Antarctica that concluded with the Antarctic Aviation Workshop 2022.

Promoting operational safety in Antarctica is a key priority for COMNAP. In regards to air operations and air safety this was a renewed opportunity to discuss increase in activity, changes in communications capabilities and improvements in technologies. As a result, we updated COMNAP products and tools and provided updated advice to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) 2022.

There were four Outputs of the COMNAP Antarctic Aviation Project which are all now complete:

1. Review ATCM Resolution 1 (2013) (now ATCM Resolution 6 (2021)) and provide COMNAP advice to ATCM.

2. Perform Air-related Technology Audit to inform a COMNAP Information Paper (IP) to ATCM and as background information for the COMNAP Air Operations Expert Group and the Antarctic Aviation Workshop.

3. Develop minimum survival equipment recommendations for carriage on aircraft.

4. Convene Antarctic Aviation Workshop.

Antarctic Aviation Workshop Presentations:


“COMNAP Products: data collection, management, revisions and distributions” (Uploaded on 31 January 2022)
Andrea Colombo, COMNAP Secretariat

“Recommendation for COMNAP Best Practice Additional to AFIM on Position Reporting” (Uploaded on 31 January 2022)
Gary James, Office of Polar Programs US National Science Foundation

“Transponder Landing System (TLS) Update” (Uploaded on 31 January 2022)
Gary James, Office of Polar Programs US National Science Foundation

“Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems Transponder Recommendation” (Uploaded on 31 January 2022)
Gary James, Office of Polar Programs US National Science Foundation

“Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS)” (Uploaded on 31 January 2022)
Paul Sheppard, Office of Polar Programs US National Science Foundation

“The Ins & Outs of ABS-B: An introduction and its role in future Antarctic aviation programs” (Uploaded on 15 February 2022)
Brian Crocker & Michael Whitley, Kenn Borek Air

“Boulder Clay Runway Update” (Uploaded on 21 February 2022)
Gianluca Bianchi Fasani, Italian Antarctic Program ENEA

“Dronning Maud Land Air Network (DROMLAN)” (Uploaded on 21 February 2022)
Christine Wesche, Germany’s Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) Helmholtz Centre for Polar & Marine Research & Co-Chair DROMLAN

“Sustainability Principles in Antarctic Aviation” (Uploaded on 28 February 2022)
Yeadong Kim & Deneb Karentz, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR)

“An Overview of IAATO Operator Air Activities” (Uploaded on 3 March 2022)
Lisa Kelley, International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO)

“Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods” (Uploaded on 7 March 2022)
Julio Bacchino Bardesio, Uruguay Air Force

“Using ADS-B for flight tracking and coordination in Dronning Maud Land” (Uploaded on 11 March 2022)
Sven Lidstrom, Norwegian Polar Institute

“Ground Support Assets for Chinese Antarctic Aviation Operation” (Uploaded on 14 March 2022)
Xuyu Cheng, Polar Research Institute of China

“Survival Equipment on Aircraft” (Uploaded on 14 March 2022)
Rod Arnold, British Antarctic Survey, & Sven Lidstrom, Norwegian Polar Institute

“AWI aircraft operations” (Uploaded on 18 March 2022)
Daniel Steinhage, Germany’s Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) Helmholtz Centre for Polar & Marine Research

Those fourteen presentations are available via YouTube to registered subscribers. The summaries of each presentation are available through the Workshop Report.