Watch the world's largest plane arrive at Perth Airport
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Watch the world's largest plane arrive at Perth Airport
World's largest plane - which can hold TEN tanks and has a wingspan twice the width of a football field - arrives in Perth after travelling across the globe to deliver a 117-tonne mining generator
Tens of thousands of people gathered to watch the arrival of the world's largest plane land in Perth on Sunday.
The Antonov An-255 Mriya left Václav Havel Airport in Prague on Friday and due to air traffic delays was expected to arrive at 11.50am local time in Perth after travelling half way across the world to transport a 117 tonne generator.
Traffic was gridlocked around Perth Airport as spectators sought to get a glimpse of the massive 600 tonne aircraft - forcing officials to lock people out of the public viewing area.
Aviation WA president David Eyre told ABC that the plane is the heaviest aircraft ever built and has the largest wingspan of any aircraft in operation.
He said: 'It is the first time it's come to Australia, so it's a big event for all aviation enthusiasts around Australia.
'It is exciting to see, for a start, you don't see six-engine aircrafts at all normally … It's got two tails, rather than the usual one you see on most big aircraft, so that makes it slightly different-looking.
But most impressive are the extremely heavy cargo the plane has shifted from one place to another through the air.
Mr Eyre said: 'It's carried all sorts of things, it's carried locomotives, it also holds the record for carrying the heaviest cargo ever transported by air. Its biggest load was 253 tonnes, which I think was four Russian military tanks.'
The plane, which can hold the equivalent of ten British battle tanks and has twice the wing area span of a Boeing 747, is transporting a 117-tonne generator purchased by a WA resources company, reported WA Today.
Designed and built in Ukraine in the 1980s, the immense 'Antonov An-225 Mriya' will have to pass through a number of refuelling stops across Eurasia, India and South East Asia before its 42 tyres hit the tarmac and drop off its precious cargo.
The electric generator was picked up from the Czech Republic and will be delivered to West Australian aluminium-ore mining company Worsely Alumina, where it will be likely be used to power large drills and excavating machinery.
Measuring in at 84 metres long and with a wingspan of 88 metres - almost twice the width of a traditional football field - the plane has acted as a commercial transporter of oversized payloads for over two decades.
Without a load, the colossal Antonov An-225 Mriya (Ukrainian for 'dream') can fly for up to 18 hours without stopping to refuel.
The unloading phase of the generator on board could take up to 10 hours.
Global logistics company DB Schenker, hired to facilitate the challenging resource shipment, said the plane would spend two days at the international terminal before taking off again.
Perth Airport's initial anticipation of a crowd as large as 50,000 has been surpassed with crowds of thousands flocking to the airport.
Just after 10am spectators were told the plane would be delayed by two hours and traffic was at a standstill with several kilometres of cars lined up heading towards the airport.
Frustrated drivers have now started parking their cars on the side of the freeway and have continued the journey on foot.
Police have attempted to stop people from doing this but the crowd has been relentless, WA Today reported.
