World’s largest aircraft lands in Lanka for refuelling

The world’s largest aircraft, Antonov An-225 Mriya landed at the Mattala Rajapakse International Airport (MRIA) in Hambantota in southern Sri Lanka yesterday, officials said.MRIA chief airport manager Upul Kalansuriya told Xinhua the aircraft landed at 6.30am local time for refuelling and rest for its 28 crew members.This is the first time that the An-225 has landed in Sri Lanka.The landing of the biggest aircraft attracted huge local media attention, partly because the Mattala airport, built and named after former president Mahinda Rajapakse, is probably the world’s emptiest international terminal, with just one scheduled flight a day operated by a budget carrier.“Antonov flights usually use MRIA as a transit base to re-fuel and provide rest for its crew members. On average four Antonov flights land at the MRIA per month but this is the first time the Antonov 225 landed in Sri Lanka,” Kalansuriya said.The Antonov An-225 Mriya was designed by the Antonov Design Bureau in Ukraine in the 1980s.The aircraft is powered by six turbo fan engines and is the heaviest aircraft ever built, with a maximum takeoff weight of 640 tonnes.It also has the largest wingspan of any aircraft in operational service.