World’s largest cargo plane Antonov AN -225 Mriya lands at Karachi airport

The world’s largest cargo aircraft, Antonov AN -225 Mriya, made its first landing in Pakistan Friday at the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi for refueling.

Interestingly, the craft had also made an emergency landing at Colombo airport for refueling a day ago. Mriya landed at the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) on Friday morning, Sri Lankan daily mirror quoted Airport Manager Upali Kalansuriya as saying.

Antonov AN-225 consists of six turbofan engines and it embarked on its maiden flight in 1985.

It is the heaviest aircraft ever built and has a maximum takeoff weight of 640 tonnes. The Mriya also has the largest wingspan of any aircraft in operational service.

The Antonov AN-225 Mriya, a strategic airlift cargo aircraft, was designed by the Antonov Design Bureau in Ukraine during the Soviet era in the 1980s. 

The aircraft made an unscheduled landing for refueling and will depart tomorrow (Sunday) morning for Dammam as the cabin crew was on a rest-break.