The construction of a new AN-225 “Mriya” (“Dream” in English) has begun in Germany and is already 30 percent complete, Yevhen Havrylov, the general director of Ukraine’s state-owned Antonov aircraft manufacturer, told Bild.
“The work on the [new] machine is going on in a secret place. Parts of the bombed [first] machine and new parts will be added to the never-completed second AN-225,” he said.
“Mriya,” the world’s largest ever aircraft, had been destroyed by Russian invaders on Feb. 27, 2022, in its Hostomel airfield hangar near Kyiv – one of many Russian crimes in Ukraine.
Above: “Mriya,” the world’s largest aircraft, as it was in 2002. (Photo: Wikipedia).
Below: 20 years later. (Photo: Reuters)
Despite previous assumptions that building a completely new “Mria” would require up to €3 billion, the use of already available parts will allow keeping the project’s total costs within €500 million, according to Havrylov’s estimates.
“A fund has already been set up. It is still being examined which other parts of the giant freighter, which was initially believed to be lost, could be recycled,” the Build story reads.
The Leipzig/Halle Airport, where “Mriya” used to be a regular, will lend a hand in reviving the Ukrainian “Dream.” On Monday, the Saxon airport set up an exhibition of pictures of the wreck.
“Here, the memory of [the aircraft] should be kept alive internationally, and we plan to sell merchandise at Leipzig/Halle Airport, such as models of the AN-225 and pictures, in order to bring in additional money and win sponsors,” says Havrylov.
Antonov General Director Yevhen Havrylov (42). (Photo: Alexander Schumann)
