If you’ve ever been on an overseas flight, perhaps from China to the US, you’ll know that those long flights never go over the pacific or atlantic ocean. Generally, the flights that last 12 hours or more are from 1 end of the earth to another, and they usually go over the north pole for flights in the northern hemisphere. However, the long flights in the south hemisphere do not go over the south pole. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, the weather conditions over the south pole are extreme. It takes months of training for people to be ready to arrive at the south pole. The only people who are there are those who are doing research. Secondly, the visibility of antarctican airspace isn’t the best. Visually they have to deal with constant whiteouts caused by snow, and they can’t contact the ground either. It is important for pilots to maintain contact with the ground to ensure that they know where they’re going. Thirdly, there is no infrastructure in the south pole. In case of an emergency, there’s no way to land on an airstrip in the south pole, because there are no airstrips. And last but not least, navigation is difficult at the south pole. The polar regions have magnetic fields, which mess with navigation systems on an airplane.