An Australian aviation company, Skytraders, has carried out what is believed to be the first midwinter rescue flight from Antarctica conducted entirely in darkness, evacuating an ill US researcher from McMurdo Station (a major American research base on Ross Island in the Antarctic). The Airbus A319, dubbed Snowbird 1, flew from the Tasmanian city of Hobart and landed at Phoenix Airfield in temperatures of -43°C after a snowstorm delayed departure; the patient was then flown on to Christchurch, New Zealand, where he is now recovering. The mission is seen as a landmark in polar aviation, with crew members describing conditions as "right on the edge" of even the most specialised aircraft's capabilities.