By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, March 30: An Antonov An-124-100 cargo plane, the largest transport aircraft in the world which was spotted at Kuching International Airport (KIA) recently went viral on social media, with many speculating about the plane’s presence in the city.
As the news spread fast, many people flocked the airport for a photo opportunity with the gargantuan plane.
The aircraft is currently the largest cargo plane in the world since the destruction of its larger sibling, the Antonov 225, on Feb 27 last year during the Battle of Antonov Airport in the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war.
According to Minister of Transport Sarawak (MOTS) Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin, the cargo plane was delivering a package to Hornbill Skyways in the form of two helicopters.
“They were here to deliver two helicopters for Hornbill Skyways,” he said when responding to a reporter’s query on the aircraft’s presence during his visit to Kenyalang Traffic Garden here today.
Another reliable source told DayakDaily that the Antonov An-124 arrived at KIA at 8.24am last Sunday (March 26) all the way from Marseille, France via Abu Dhabi to deliver two brand new Airbus Helicopters H175 for the aircraft charter service company.
After dropping off the package, the cargo plane departed to Tianjin Binhai International Airport, China at 5.38pm on Tuesday (March 28).
The An-124 is capable of carrying a maximum payload of 150,000kg, and 55 of these aircraft were ever made. In 2019, only 26 remain in commercial service. — DayakDaily
