Canberra drops plan to build Antarctica’s first paved runway

Australia has axed a plan to build a 2,700m (8,858ft) concrete runway near its Davis Research Station on the coast of Antarctica. The government of prime minister Scott Morrison attributed the decision to concerns about the environmental impact of the project, says environment minister Sussan Ley.<br/>The project, originally announced in May 2018, would have seen the construction of the first paved runway on the southern continent. The runway would have been capable of handling widebody commercial aircraft and strategic transports on a year-round basis. Other infrastructure would have included taxiways, runway lighting, and buildings to accommodate services such as air traffic control and firefighting. A pier was also planned, as well as storage facilities for fuel. Initial estimates suggested that building the aerodrome would have required a combination of icebreakers and ice-strengthened cargo vessels. Every year, two cargo vessels would have been dispatched to Antarctica to support construction.<br/>