Last February, the world lost an engineering marvel when Russian forces attacked and destroyed the sole Antonov An-225 “Mriya” at Hostomel Airport (GML) near Kyiv, Ukraine. The company that chartered that jet for her last flight has released a moving short film dedicated commemorating the final series of flights.
A Product of the Space Race
The massive aircraft was initially designed in the late 1980s by the Soviet Union for use in its space program. The aircraft was used primarily as a transport for the Buran space shuttle, the Soviet equivalent of America’s space shuttle. The An-225 first flew on 21 December 1988.
At 275 feet long and a wingspan of 290 feet, the An-225 was the largest aircraft ever built. It had six engines — each capable of producing 51,6000 pounds of thrust at takeoff — and a landing gear system with 32 wheels. It was also the heaviest plane ever built, with a maximum takeoff weight of 710 tons.
The An-225 in a Post-Soviet World
When the Cold War ended in 1991, and the Soviet Union collapsed, the Soviet space program collapsed with it. Thus, the An-225’s intended purpose was no longer relevant. A second An-225 was in production at the time but was never completed. To this day, the second An-225 remains unfinished in the hangar of a Ukrainian airfield.
From 1994 until 2001, Mriya sat in storage. After refurbishment, the aircraft was reintroduced as a cargo transport designed to carry oversized loads. In 2002, it returned to the skies under the banner of Antonov Airlines, which operated its base at Hostomel Airport near Kyiv.
Mriya completed many missions throughout her life, including supplying military aid to American, Canadian, and coalition forces in the Middle East, humanitarian relief missions around the world, and – most recently – providing medical supplies to countries throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mriya’s Final Mission
Prior to her destruction by Russian forces in February, Mriya’s last mission involved the transport of nearly 320 tons of COVID-19 test kits from Tianjin, China (TSN) to Billund, Denmark (BLL) via Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (FRU).
UK-based air charter company 26AVIATION was responsible for organizing Mriya’s final mission. Founded in 2021, 26AVIATION provided the logistics for what would become Mriya’s last mission before her demise.
The following tribute video, produced by 26AVIATION, is the final video ever captured of the mighty An-225 Mriya. It shows her arrival into Billund on the evening of 4 February 2022, the unloading of the cargo the next day, and her final ferry flight back to Hostomel.
On 27 February 2022, Mriya was destroyed by Russian forces at Hostomel Airport. Cargo inside of her at the time included windmill blades and COVID-19 test kits.
Ukraine Vows to Rebuild the An-225
Shortly after Mriya’s destruction, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed that the An-225 would take to the skies again when the war ends. Zelensky, along with the Ukrainian people, view the aircraft as a symbol of national pride.
The task may be easier said than done, however, as returning the An-225 to the air would be an expensive undertaking – on the order of $3 billion USD or more.
Over its 34 years of service, the An-225 was a symbol of aviation ingenuity. The entire aviation community mourns the loss of one of the most iconic airplanes ever built.
