Antonov’s An-124 gets an upgrade, returns to international ops

Ukrainian cargo carrier Antonov Airlines has announced that its An-124-100 Ruslan aircraft has been successfully relocated from Ukraine to Germany and has undergone a comprehensive modernisation programme.

The aircraft, registered as UR-82073 with MSN 0706, is 31.7 years old and was formerly operated by Rossiya – Russian Airlines. It features the inscription ‘Be brave like Irpin’. In 2022, Antonov Airlines renamed its fleet to honour cities heavily impacted by Russia’s invasion. Ten aircraft, including seven An-124s, were named after ‘Hero Cities of Ukraine’ such as Bucha, Irpin, Kharkiv, and Mariupol, symbolising national resistance.

The company stated that on July 11, 2025, the An-124-100 was safely relocated to Germany. Manufactured in 1994, the aircraft has accumulated over 21,000 flight hours across more than 5,500 flights.

Antonov added that work on the extensively modernised aircraft began in 2021. The goal of the programme, led by the Antonov JSC team, is to replace key components originally manufactured in Russia with modern alternatives from Western and Ukrainian producers.

Due to Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the modernisation work was partially suspended while the aircraft remained in a disassembled state. However, despite the challenges of wartime conditions, the Antonov JSC team managed to resume efforts and successfully completed the upgrade in June 2025.

The company added that the aircraft will continue to operate on international routes in the service of Ukraine. It also confirmed that the Antonov fleet remains in safe condition, in accordance with internal safety protocols.

According to Planespotters.net, the aircraft was stored at Sviatoshyn Airfield in Kyiv from March 13, 2021, to July 11, 2025, before flying to Leipzig/Halle Airport, where it is currently stored.

Unlike the An-225 Mriya, which was destroyed in Hostomel, UR-82073 remained safely away from frontline combat while stored at Sviatoshyn.

The Ukrainian cargo airline currently has a fleet of seven Antonov An-124 aircraft, of which four are active and three are parked. The average age of the fleet is 35.6 years.

The company specialises in transporting a wide range of heavy-lift and specialised cargo. Most recently, it completed an urgent delivery of mining equipment from Turkey to Canada.

Antonov Airlines, in partnership with Air Charter Service Canada, delivered a time-critical piece of gold mining equipment from Istanbul to Calgary aboard an An-124-100.

The part was urgently needed to prevent downtime at a mine in Northern British Columbia and was available only from a supplier in Türkiye.

An Antonov An-124 aircraft also recently transported a batch of three Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopters for the Indian Army.