Antonov 225 at Shannon Airport, Ireland
Taken by Donal Morrissey @birrlad on Instagram
Today the world’s largest aircraft took to the skies after 18 months for a much needed cause. The Antonov 225 registered UR-82060 operated flight ADB354F from Kyiv, Ukraine (GML) to Almaty, Kazakhstan (ALA). This was its first leg of a necessary operation to transport urgent medical supplies to Poland from China. Let me deliver some more details to you now.
The Polish company KGHM specialised in copper and silver mining have chartered this flight. Its aim is to transport 7 million masks and hundreds of personal protective equipment to Poland. Poland is suffering greatly from the Coronavirus currently. Many are stressed, grieving and in pain with a lack of medical supplies. This aircraft taking to the skies again is positive for both aviation enthusiasts and those struggling in Poland.
The aircraft was on the ground 18 months prior to its first flight today. It had engines replaced and modifications to its cockpit such as replacing its screens.
This colossal aircraft designed by Antonov was first produced in 1985. The aircraft was built by the Ukrainian plant, Antonov Serial Production Plant and its national origin is the Soviet Union. It first took to the skies on the 21st of December 1988. It was initially designed to transport the Energia rocket’s boosters and the Buran orbiter for the Soviet Space Program. The Buran orbiter was a spacecraft that was supposed to slide in the Earths atmosphere like an aircraft and behave like a spacecraft in the vacuum of space. After the Antonov 225 fulfilled its duties successfully for the Soviet Union, it was put into storage for 8 years. However, Antonov decided to reintroduce this large aircraft for commercial operations for oversized payloads. This extraordinary, six engined aircraft has a maximum takeoff weight of 640,000kg.
Its first commercial service was from Stuttgart, Germany to Thumrait, Oman on the 3rd of January 2002. This flight was carried out to transport 216,000 prepared meals for American military personnel based in the region.
The Antonov 225 has become a brilliant resource of the Antonov Airlines fleet. It now is used to quickly transport heavy objects by air in times of natural disasters when aid is necessarily needed.
This aircraft has also been contracted with the Canadian and US Government to support coalition forces by transport military supplies to the Middle East.
History was made when the aircraft transported the heaviest single cargo item ever sent via air freight on the 11th of August 2009. It was a generator that was 16.2 metres long and 4.3m wide that weighted 189 tonnes. It was being transported to be used in a power plant in Armenia.
Also during 2009, the Antonov was painted in blue and yellow paint scheme as seen in the pictures above, after Antonov ceased cooperation with AirFoyle. They partnered with Russian based Volga-Dnepr in 2006.
The aircraft also transported the world’s longest piece of air cargo on the 11th or June 2010. They were two test wind turbine blades both 42.1 metres in length being brought from Tianjin, China to Skrydstrup, Denmark.
Only one of these aircraft were ever made. It is a brilliant day for aviation enthusiats to see this beauty to take flight after 18 months on the ground.
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