HOSTOMEL, Ukraine — All hail to the king of the skies as he returns to his kingdom, roaring loudly like a dragon above the runway strip.
After nearly two years on the ground spent under repair and modernization works, the Antonov An-225 Mriya — the world’s heaviest and largest cargo aircraft — has a new mission.
On April 11, the iconic Ukrainian jet took off from its home airfield of Hostomel, just outside Kyiv, to carry a large load of medical equipment and protective gear between China and Poland, which is fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Polish government decided to hire Mriya, part of Kyiv-based Antonov Airlines, a branch of legendary aircraft manufacturer Antonov Company. According to the Polish Ministry of State Assets, the Ukrainian giant will bring the country nearly 400 tons of medical cargo purchased from China — including 7 million face masks and several hundred thousand protective suits and face screens.
The Antonov An-225 Mriya aircraft prepares for takeoff at Hostomel airfield near Kyiv on April 11, 2020. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
The aircraft will stop to refuel and allow its crew to rest in Almaty, the capital city of Kazakhstan, before continuing its way to Beijing.
The giant aircraft is capable of carrying up to 250 tons of cargo at a time, so Mriya will likely have to make at least two round trips to fulfill the Polish contract.
As the Polish ministry noted, the Ukrainian aircraft is so heavy and powerful that “with only one flight it can bring as much cargo from China as a total of 10 Boeing 787 Dreamliners.”
It is expected to arrive, fully loaded, in Warsaw on April 14. This will be Mriya’s third visit to Poland.
An airfield operator dressed in biological protection suit walks through the Hostomel airfield on Apr. 11, 2020. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
While the aircraft is fulfilling a serious mission, its upcoming arrival has become a major event for aviation enthusiasts. On April 10, the Chopin International Airport of Warsaw called upon the public to refrain from coming to see the aircraft due to quarantine measures imposed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“We will provide you with an opportunity to watch the Antonov An-225 Mriya online, both its arrival and departure,” the airport authorities said on their Facebook page.
“We understand your desire to see the giant aircraft with your own eyes. But for the sake of the safety and health of us all — do not come to the airport, stay home.”
Visitors take photos of the Antonov An-225 Mriya aircraft preparing to take off at the Hostomel airfield near Kyiv on April 11, 2020. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Antonov Airlines has seen a drastic increase in demand for its services in large cargo transportation, particularly for transporting medical equipment from China to Europe.
According to the carrier’s director, Mykhailo Kharchenko, Antonov currently operates five Antonov An-125 Ruslan heavy airlifts. Since March, the Ruslans have delivered medical cargo, including COVID-19 tests, to Denmark, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. More flights are expected in the coming weeks, he said.
Mriya, the superheavy strategic airlift, now joins the team.
“In the nearest future, we believe Mriya will also be carrying medical cargo from China to Ukraine,” Kharchenko told the Kyiv Post.
“One or two flights will satisfy much of Ukraine’s demand for medical gear and equipment. I believe this should happen in the second half of April.”
Antonov built Mryia in Kyiv in the late 1980s. It had its maiden flight in 1988. It is still the heaviest aircraft even built, with the largest wingspan of any cargo jet operated across the world. It was initially created to transport the spaceplane Buran, a Soviet space shuttle, on its back.
The Antonov An-225 Mriya aircraft takes off at Hostomel airfield near Kyiv on April 11, 2020. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Mriya was mothballed in 1994, but then resurrected in 2001 as a civilian superheavy cargo carrier. To this day, it continues to carry out cargo transportation contracts all around the world.
According to Antonov Airlines, the aircraft normally conducts nearly 20 flights a year, and contracting it can cost at least $1 million.
The plane has set nearly 250 world records in civilian cargo transportation, including an unbeaten record for carrying 253.8 tons of cargo in the air.
Antonov’s Mriya remains the only aircraft of its family.
One more Antonov An-225 was supposed to be built, but its construction stopped due to a lack of financing and interest. The second aircraft remains nearly 70% complete, and Antonov says it is ready to complete the construction should mass investment appear.
According to estimates by Mykola Kalashnikov, the aircraft’s chief designer, the company might need nearly $400 million to complete the second Mriya.
The Antonov An-225 Mriya aircraft takes off at Hostomel airfield near Kyiv on April 11, 2020. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
