Grounded Russian Antonov AN-124 Will Be Flown to Ukraine

A new round of sanctions against Russia will include ending a year-long fiasco involving a Ukrainian-built, Russian-owned AN-124. 

Year Long Fiasco

On February 27, 2022, a Russian-registered Antonov AN-124 (RA-82078) landed at Toronto Pearson Int'l Airport (YYZ) in Canada carrying COVID-19 testing kits from China. This would be the last time the aircraft would fly, as just a few days later it would be grounded by the Canadian government.

The grounding was due to the Russia-Ukraine war and Canada levying sanctions on the Russian government and business enterprises in the country. Among the business affected were all Russian airlines — both carrying passengers and cargo. Since Russian airlines and registered aircraft were banned from flying in Western countries' airspace, the AN-124 remained in Canada. 

New Sanctions

After a week of visiting various European and North American leaders, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced the official transfer of the grounded Volga-Dniepr Airlines' AN-124 to Ukraine. The official announcement came through the PM's social media accounts, where he stated "...we are preparing to confiscate the AN-124 aircraft...of the aggressor [Russia] in Canada and transfer them to Ukraine..." 

About Antonov and the AN-124

Antonov State Enterprise was founded in May of 1946. In the 76 years since then, the company has produced some of the world's most iconic aircraft such as the Antonov AN-225, AN-2, and An-124.

The AN-124, nicknamed "Ruslan" in the East, is the second largest cargo aircraft in the world, just behind the destroyed and soon-to-be-rebuilt Antonov AN-225 "Mriya". The plane first flew on the 24th of December 1982, with its official introduction being made at the 1985 Paris Air Show. Most of the world's Antonov AN-124s were built in Ukraine, with approximately 20 being manufactured in Russia between 2009 and 2014