The world’s largest operating cargo aircraft, the Antonov-225 touched down at the Hosea Kutako International Airport in Windhoek on Thursday, July 8, delivering medical supplies from Germany to Namibia.
The flight landed at 14:04 local time after flying from Kyiv, Ukraine on July 5, to Leipzig Halle Airport in Germany and departing again for its just over seven-hour journey Accra, Ghana on July 7, and finally, the last leg of five hours to Windhoek on July 8, reports Simple Flying.
This AN-225 weighs 285 tons and can load up to 254 tons. This giant has a wingspan of 290 feet and a length of 275 feet, (adding up to 88 x 84 metres), according to Interesting Engineering. The plane nicknamed “Mriya”, which is Ukrainian for “Dream”, completed its first flight in 1988 but was grounded for many years after the collapse of the Soviet Union thereafter.
Mriya owns the world record for airlifting the largest single payload of 187.6 tonnes from Frankfurt Hahn airport in 2009. The cargo was a power plant generator. “This incredible plane already holds a number of records, including that of the only plane to have a maximum take-off weight of over 600 tonnes and the plane with the widest wingspan, at 290 ft (88.4 mt),” Guinness World Records said.
Take a look at the mammoth machine’s arrival in Windhoek.
Jumbo aircraft lands… The world’s largest aircraft, the Antonov-225, with a consignment of medical equipment and material, has just landed at the Hosea Kutako International Airport.
Video: Emmency Nuukala pic.twitter.com/fO6aV3Uy5y— New Era Newspaper (@NewEraNewspaper) July 8, 2021
A good news update from Namibia, the Antonov ‘beast’ has flown in with Covid19 medications pic.twitter.com/UNdqWVcehK
— Alfred Thumser 🇿🇦🇳🇦🇪🇺🇩🇪 (@TeachingBioche1) July 8, 2021
Picture: Screenshot from YouTube
