MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Punta Arenas News.

Headlines:
Increased air traffic in Punta Arenas; Warning from an “Antarctic pilot”.

Increased air traffic in Punta Arenas

Air traffic in Punta Arenas international airport is reflecting the expanding tourist trade in the region.

Lan Chile's daily flights to Santiago are now seven plus the Antarctic over-flight charters, and all of them fully booked.

Nelson Ibañez, manager of Punta Arenas airport said air traffic from out of the Magallanes region has been steadily increasing since late last year and "now we have the season's traffic that this year is proving most encouraging".

Puerto Williams in Chilean Tierra del Fuego now has a daily flight, up from three a week and sometimes "we are forced to change the 20 seats Twin Otters for a larger aircraft with a 48 seats capacity", indicated Alex Pivcevic from DAP airways.

DAP charter flights to Antarctica, particularly in King George Island, will total 25 this season.

"For these tours we fly the Dash 7 that is ideally suited for this kind of tours", said Mr. Pivcevic.

Another charter that is proving attractive is flying to Puerto Natales. Cruise passengers who wish to spend a day in the Torres del Paine are making the 45 minutes trip.

Mr. Ibañez also pointed out to the growing number of smaller executive aircraft landing in Punta Arenas.

"They are mostly Chilean businessmen or foreign visitors who come in their own aircraft or in executive airlines. It's quiet a busy season".

Warning from an "Antarctic pilot"

With 48 years in the sea, 21 of them in Antarctic and Artic waters, retired Canadian captain Patrick Toomey warned about the need for cruise vessels travelling to Antarctica to have an Antarctic pilot on board.

In an interview with La Prensa Autral in Punta Arenas, Captain Toomey who just returned from the Antarctic with the "Amsterdam" and 1,300 passengers said that the growing traffic in Antarctic waters increases the possibility of accidents, and "Antarctic sea experts are needed to help captains and navigators".

"There are some vessels that come to Cape Horn and once there add Antarctica as another itinerary which is not very encouraging", indicated Captain Toomey who also pointed out that not all areas in the ice packed continent have been completely surveyed or chartered.

According to the Canadian captain another area exposed when cruise vessels don't have on board an Antarctic pilot, is the environment and particularly the colonies of sea mammals and sea birds.

From 1975 and for six years commanded the Canadian icebreaker Norman McLeod Rogers, which later was incorporated to the Chilean Navy with the name "Oscar Viel Toro".<