After years on the ground: Antonov An-124 surprisingly ends up in Leipzig!

After years on the ground: Antonov An-124 surprisingly ends up in Leipzig!

A Antonov An-124 surprisingly landed at Leipzig Airport on July 11, 2023. Antonov Airlines' flight from Ukraine represents a remarkable incident, especially since the machine had to stay on the ground for years due to the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine. Ukrainian airspace has been completely closed to civil aviation since the beginning of the war, and only military and humanitarian flights are allowed. Antonov's home airport, Hostomel in Kiev, was badly damaged at the beginning of the war, which the situation also complicated.

The AN-124 with the license plate UR-82073 has a height of around 20 meters and a span of 73 meters, which is why it is considered one of the largest transport aircraft in the world. It can transport up to 120 tons of freight. Before she last landed in Kiev on March 13, 2021, the machine was at the Antonov plant airport Sviatoshyn, where it was stored and serviced. The landing in Leipzig was celebrated with an impressive water salut, which underlines the importance of this event.

Surprising return and possible future

The exact purpose of the flight is still unclear, but it is speculated that the machine could join the active fleet abroad again. According to a report by Eadaily, the AN-124 Ruslan plane, which was spotted via Kiev, was brought to Leipzig for a certification examination ( EADAILY ). Fedor Grischuk, inspector of the state aviation authority of Ukraine, confirmed this information on Facebook.

It is an interesting turn that the An-124 was not damaged during the fighting for Gostomel because it was maintained at that time. Antonov Airlines moved his operating hub to Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany after the war. There are currently five AN-124-100 aircraft operational that carry out international freight transports, and the return of UR-82073 could now increase the fleet to six machines.

flight via Kyiv and security aspects

Before landing in Leipzig, an AN-124-100 Ruslan flew the day before with a military freight for the Ukrainian armed forces via Kiev in a height of around 750 meters. The aircraft was in the detection area of the IRBIS-E Radare of the SU-35S fighters and could have potentially intercepted by various air defense systems. However, there was no successful catchment attempt, which may have been due to the fact that the monitoring aircraft were not active ( thuringia ).

A total of 55 AN-124 were built, with 26 civil models being in use. The situation around the aviation in Ukraine remains tense, but the return of this machine to Leipzig could be a glimmer of hope in the middle of the challenges. Antonov Airlines is known for the transport of heavy load and special freight, and the An-124 will play a crucial role in this context.