Another historic day for Irish Aviation occurred at Shannon Airport on Wednesday 27th October as the airport hosted a trio of Antonov aircraft reminiscent of the past Aeroflot days when significant Russian activity with Ilyushin and Tupolev aircraft on transit stops and painting visits.
The three aircraft to visit UR-CQD An-26B msn 10101 Vulkan Air on transit stop en-route from Madrid to the United States to undertake a contract. UR-82007 An-124 msn 19530501005 Antonov Design Bureau ‘ADB3995’ arrived from Dubai World Centre (DWC) departing next day to Huntsville (HSV), Alabama.
UR-82060 Antonov An-225 Mriya msn 13102 Antonov Design Bureau ‘ADB3982’ arrived from Tianjin via Almaty with a shipment of Christmas trees and decorations for Irish retailer Dunnes Stores
Shannon Airport Operations & Commercial Director Niall Maloney said “With a wingspan wider than the Croke Park pitch and, from nose to tail, over one and a half times the length of an Olympic swimming pool, the Antonov 225 stands alone as the largest plane ever made. It is wonderful to see the plane flying in commercial cargo, a further sign of a recovery in our economy. We love having the Antonov here. It’s an incredible aircraft and when you see it on the taxiway here, it dwarfs anything else on the airfield. When you take its enormous size into perspective, it’s almost unbelievable that it can get up into the skies, let alone be as graceful when it’s up there. The plane also attracts significant interest with aviation enthusiasts from around the country who travel here in large numbers to view this unique aircraft.”
Image Credit: Shannon Airport
Irish Aviation Research Institute © 1 November 2021 All Rights Reserved
