IATA A25ICAO A225

Antonov An-225 Mriya

Antonov

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World's largest aircraft, built to carry the Buran shuttle.

First flight

1988

Category

Wide-body jet

Range

15,400 km

Engines

Six ZMKB Progress D-18T turbofan engines

Status

Retired

The Antonov An-225 Mriya ('Dream' in Ukrainian) is a strategic airlift cargo aircraft originally designed by the Soviet Antonov Design Bureau in the 1980s. It was created primarily to transport the Buran space shuttle orbiter and the Energia rocket components, requiring an aircraft of extraordinary size and lift capacity. Only one An-225 was ever completed and flown operationally. It was operated by Antonov Airlines as a heavy-lift freighter, carrying oversized and overweight cargo worldwide. A second airframe was partially constructed but never completed. The sole operational An-225 was destroyed on 27 February 2022 at Hostomel Airport near Kyiv during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine announced intentions to rebuild a second aircraft, though the timeline and feasibility remain uncertain.

Notable operators

The An-225 was operated exclusively by Antonov Airlines for heavy-lift cargo missions worldwide.

Notable facts

›Holds the world record for the heaviest aircraft ever built, with a maximum takeoff weight of 640 tonnes.
›Has the largest wingspan of any aircraft in operational history at 88.4 metres.
›Was designed to carry the Soviet Buran space shuttle on its fuselage.
›Only one example was ever completed and entered service.
›The sole airframe was destroyed at Hostomel Airport during the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.