Rare TV Expands Airport Franchise for the Smithsonian Channel

Rare TV has expanded its Airport franchise with Extreme Airport Africa, an eight-hour series set across southern Africa, for the Smithsonian Channel.

Set to premiere on January 7, the series sees pilots fly in and out of Johannesburg’s two biggest international airports, helicopter crews fly life-or-death medevac missions, airport ground teams struggle to keep wildlife off the runways, scientists take to the air to monitor the health of rhino and buffalo populations and much more.

In Botswana, the production team filmed with lion and elephant conservation experts using helicopters and light aircraft in the Okavango Delta, one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet. In Madagascar, the crew filmed with the UN Humanitarian Air Service as it delivered aid to help the island recover from one of the worst tropical storms ever recorded. The series also brings viewers into the cockpit of a commercial airliner en route to the remote South Atlantic island of St. Helena for one of the most challenging landings in global aviation.

“Southern Africa is one of the most beautiful and extreme places on Earth,” said Christian Broadhurst, VP of U.S. development at Rare TV and an executive producer of the new series. “The region relies on aviation, not just for tourism but for protecting its incredible wildlife from poaching and habitat loss. Aircraft big and small, alongside a vast fleet of helicopters, make this aviation series a thrilling watch, and we feel privileged to have worked with so many passionate individuals, institutions and government bodies who are all trying to protect the region’s stunning biodiversity for future generations.”

Greg Chivers, Rare TV’s U.S. showrunner and executive producer of the series, added, “The series is a jaw-dropping showcase for southern Africa and African aviation. These flights are white-knuckle thrill rides through epic landscapes. The action is authentic and the stakes are as high as they come.”