Flying monster takes on big jobs
The West
Geoffrey Thomas, Aviation Editor February 27, 2016, 2:52 am
Andriy Blagovisniy is passionate.
Passionate about his native Ukraine and his company’s giant flagship, which is coming to Perth.
And he has good reason. The Antonov AN225 Myria - the world’s biggest aircraft - was designed and built in Ukraine and is operated by Kiev-based Antonov Airlines.
Mr Blagovisniy was in Perth this week to discuss the interaction and co-ordination of the AN225’s first visit to Australia with both the customer and Perth Airport.
Antonov’s head of commercial beams as talk turns to the AN225 Myria.
“My office overlooks it when it is at our home base, and every time I gaze at it I feel pride in the Antonov company and might of human mind that made the dream a reality,” Mr Blagovisniy said.
That mind was then Antonov chief designer Petr Balabuyev.
“The AN225’s name Myria is Ukrainian for dream,” Mr Blagovisniy said.
An aeronautical engineer with a degree in international relations, Mr Blagovisniy’s role is to sell the virtues of the AN225 and its smaller brother, the AN124, which is a regular visitor to Perth.
“It is unique and can carry cargo no other aircraft can uplift,” he said.
The AN225 performs about two missions a month to all corners of the globe. Whether it's giant turbine blades from China to Denmark, electrical generators from Germany to Armenia or disaster relief from Europe to Japan, the AN255 turns thousands of heads wherever it goes.
“When we flew it to Zagreb, we had about 30,000 visited the airport during a whole day to see it loading and at Minneapolis, the TV stations covered the arrival live," he said.
Mr Blagovisniy confirmed more details of the AN225’s visit in May. En route from Europe, it will make several stops to refuel and for the crew to rest.
The exact date will not be known until firm confirmation the cargo is ready and it is expected the AN225 will be in Perth two days.
Mr Blagovisniy said it usually took 8-10 hours to unload this type of mining equipment which weighs a massive 135 tonnes.
The weighty cargo is secured on a special frame that spreads the load across the floor area.
Mr Blagovisniy said the AN225, though built in the mid 80s, is certified to keep flying through to 2033 as a minimum.
In 2013, Ukrainian civil aviation authorities cleared it for 4000 landings, 20,000 hours of flight and 45 years of operation.
Due to it unsurpassed performance, the AN-255 Mriya slogan is “No Other Name Carries More Weight” and proves this with its unique service to the customers around the world.
Proud: Andriy Blagovisniy with an Antonov 225 model. Picture: Bill Hatto/The West Australian