Antonov Airlines is one of the most affected airlines in Ukraine, a victim of the war. Based at Hostomel Airport in Kiev, Antonov Airlines is one of the most important cargo companies in Eastern Europe and a key piece of infrastructure that the Russians wanted to seize at the beginning of the invasion. In the ensuing heavy fighting for control of the airport, the flagship Antonov An-225 Mriya was destroyed, but also a large part of the existing ground fleet.
But where is the rest of Antonov Airlines' fleet? We mention that the Antonov fleet includes seven An-124-100 and one An-158, An-178, An-22A, An-26-100, An-128, An-132D and An-74T. Of the seven An-124-100, UR-82009 and UR-82073 were at Hostomel Airport.
The remaining five are safe outside of Ukraine and continue to be operational. UR-82007 operated a flight on Saturday night from Constanța (CND) - Romania to Leipzig (LEJ) - Germany. Also on Saturday, UR-82008 flew from Constanța to Istres / Le Tube (QIE) in France.
The other three AN-124-100 (UR-82027, UR-82029 and UR-82072) also flew from Constanța (CND) or Gdańsk (GDN) to different European destinations.
Unfortunately, all other UR-NTN (An-158), UR-EXP (An-178), UR-09307 (An-22A), UR-13396 (An-126-100), UR-NTE 28), UR-UXK (An-132D) and UR-74010 (An-74T) are captive in Ukraine. Some remained at Hostomel airfield, while other aircraft managed to be relocated to other airports in Ukraine.
Globally, Antonov Airlines has played an important role in global cargo transportation. Ukraine is a major player in the global cargo space. There are 11 freight airlines based in Ukraine. While An-225 Mriya is / was was in a superior and unique league, An-124-100 aircraftThey are the backbone of the fleet and provide much of the world's capacity when it comes to oversized goods.
Antonov An-124-100 broke dozens of world records, including an absolute payload record at altitude when it carried 171,22 tons at an altitude of 10.750 meters. There will certainly be a global disruption to the cargo industry.
We will be back with information about Antonov Airlines fleet.