The Fokker F-27 Mk400 Friendship was incorporated to strengthen medium-lift transport to Antarctica, combining operational efficiency with reliability on scheduled flights. With capacity for passengers and scientific cargo, it was key to optimizing personnel rotation, especially for scientists and researchers on seasonal campaigns. Its crews flew with more modern navigation systems, improving operational safety in extreme conditions. The aircraft covered regional routes from southern Argentina to liaison bases prior to the Antarctic crossing or as approach flights to Marambio. It represented a transitional stage toward logistical professionalization, complementing the heavy-duty work of the Hercules. Its contribution allowed for the continuation of Argentine scientific research on the white continent.
Notable Missions
Inaugural Flight to Marambio Base (1969)
On October 29, 1969, the TC-77 landed from Río Gallegos on the newly inaugurated Marambio airstrip, marking the beginning of the use of standard transport aircraft from the Americas to Antarctica.
First Regular Operations and Accident (1969)
A few weeks later, the aircraft was involved in an accident without fatalities during logistical operations on the Marambio airstrip, an event that spurred technical improvements to the Antarctic infrastructure.