Aucklanders looked to the skies on Monday afternoon as one of the world’s largest cargo aircraft made a dramatic arrival in New Zealand.
According to a report by Stuff, the Antonov An-124 Ruslan landed at Auckland Airport from Hawai’i shortly after 3.40 pm, drawing crowds of aviation enthusiasts and onlookers eager to witness the massive aircraft touch down.
According to Auckland Airport, the visit was part of “a planned private, specialist freight movement”, with details surrounding the cargo being “managed privately,” as quoted by Stuff.
The enormous four-engine aircraft, known for transporting exceptionally heavy and oversized freight, flew over Waiheke Island and Flat Bush before landing at the airport.
Designed specifically for heavy cargo operations, the An-124 features a huge cargo hold, drive-on loading ramps, integrated freight-handling systems and a 24-wheel undercarriage. The aircraft has a cruising speed of 865kph, a maximum payload range of 3700km and a maximum take-off weight of 402 tonnes, as reported by Stuff.
The Antonov An-124 has previously visited New Zealand to transport major cargo items, including new engines for Air New Zealand’s 787 Dreamliner fleet, boats for the America’s Cup and NH-90 helicopters for the Royal New Zealand Air Force, as quoted by Stuff.
The aircraft was designed in the 1980s by the Antonov Design Bureau in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, then part of the Soviet Union. Produced between 1982 and 2014, only 55 units were built, with around 26 still believed to be in operation today, as reported by Stuff.
At the time of its release, the An-124 was the heaviest production cargo aircraft in the world, a title it held until the launch of the Boeing 747-8F in 2010.