World's biggest plane Antonov An-225 to be built again, design work for the aircraft begins

The Antonov An-225, the world's largest plane, was one of the most important things in the Ukrainian aviation sector that the country lost in the early phase of the Russia-Ukraine war. Since, Mriya's (meaning dream in the Ukrainian language) destruction in February, the Ukrainians have shown resolve to rebuild the 'Dream,' and now the company is rolling ahead with the plans. In other words, Antonov has announced that the company will be working on building a second Antonov An-22 cargo plane. According to a statement by the company on social media platforms, "Currently, design works in this direction have begun."

The news was reinforced by Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba. The minister said in a statement, "Russia may have destroyed our ‘Mriya,’ but they will never be able to destroy our dream of a strong, free, and democratic European state. We shall prevail!" However, the exact details of the world's largest plane construction will only be confirmed once the war between the two countries ends.

Also read: Tata-owned Air India leases six A320 Neo planes from China Development Bank Aviation

Sharing the information on Twitter, the manufacturer Antonov said, "In the presentation of information with reference to acting of the General Director of the "ANTONOV" State Enterprise regarding the construction of the new "Mriya," published by the "Bild" publication and some Ukrainian mass media, an inaccuracy was admitted." Giving a clarification, they said, "Currently, design work in this direction has begun."

However, the construction of a new Antonov An-225 is surrounded by multiple problems. The primary concern after the ongoing war is the financial backing needed to build the plane. As per the statement by Antonov, the company needs something in the vicinity of 500 million Euros to build the world's biggest plane. Though the company also said, "it is too early to talk about a specific amount."

When the Russian invasion began on February 24, 2022, the aeroplane was being stored at Hostomel Airport, the location of the Antonov Company. The airport, which is close to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, was bombed on the first day of the invasion. Russian paratroopers were supposedly ordered to the area to create a bridgehead so that more forces could be airlifted in. Mriya suffered severe harm during the struggle for Hostomel's authority.