Atlas Adds Six Antarctica Fly-Cruise Departures for 2027-28
The air link uses King George Island's Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Martin Airport, where public charter flights operate on a weather-dependent gravel runway.
Atlas Ocean Voyages has added six fly-cruise Antarctica departures to its 2027-28 season, expanding both its Drake Express Expedition and Drake Fly & Sail Expedition programs. The new inventory uses private charter flights between Punta Arenas, Chile, and King George Island, reducing the South America-Antarctica transfer from about two days at sea to roughly two hours by air.
Drake Express avoids the sea crossing and operates round-trip from King George Island, while Drake Fly & Sail includes a Drake Passage crossing by sea before guests return to Punta Arenas by charter flight.
Six new departures across two Antarctica products
The Drake Express Expedition is a seven-night voyage. Atlas added four departures for that program: Nov. 28 and Dec. 5, 2027, and Feb. 12 and Feb. 19, 2028.
The two new Drake Fly & Sail departures are scheduled for Nov. 19, 2027, and Feb. 3, 2028. The announcement did not include starting fares, assigned vessels, or a named charter-flight operator for the six added sailings.
“The Drake Passage is a rite of passage for many travelers,” said James A. Rodriguez, president and CEO of Atlas Ocean Voyages. The fly-cruise options, he said, are intended for travelers “with more limited vacation time.”
Before embarkation, guests receive a complimentary Atlas Immersion in Punta Arenas, including Patagonian cuisine, regional wines, Chilean folklore and local history at Magellan’s Strait Park and Fort Bulnes.
King George Island provides the air link
The fly-cruise program relies on King George Island in the South Shetland Islands, about 75 miles north of the Antarctic Peninsula. Its Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Martin Airport is Antarctica’s only airport with an IATA code because it handles public charter flights; operations use a gravel runway and are weather-dependent. Pilots must visually confirm the strip.
The Drake Passage lies between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands and is roughly 500 miles across on a common crossing route. Atlas’s fleet consists of three sister expedition yachts: World Navigator, World Traveller and World Voyager.
Atlas said limited space remains on Drake Express departures scheduled for Dec. 7 and Dec. 14, 2026.
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