An An-225 airplane was destroyed near Kyiv as a result of the russian army's attack on the Gostomel airport. Find out what experts say about the possibility and necessity of restoring the world's largest airplane

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The Mriya aircraft was destroyed in the hangar of the Gostomel airport in Kyiv region on February 27, 2022. Thus, as a result of a russian air attack, the world's largest and most powerful aircraft was burned in Ukraine.

Will Ukraine build a new Mriya and is it worth it, according to the plane's crew commander, Dmytro Antonov, in the article below.

Why is there a debate about the restoration of the An-225?

According to Avianews, the controversy over the restoration of the world's largest cargo airplane has been going on for months.

"You don't even need to approach the Mriya if it's for your own money. It's very expensive, and there are great doubts that this project will ever pay off, it's not needed," Oleksandr Kryvokon, former head of the Antonov state enterprise, commented on this issue for Dumka. 

Among the main reasons for not reaching a consensus are the high cost of the project and questions about its future economic feasibility. The state enterprise Antonov estimated the necessary work at $500 million, while the state concern Ukroboronprom put the figure at $3 billion.

At the same time, the Ukrainian government has declared its intention to restore the An-225 as one of the country's symbols. However, this process is complicated by the fact that the Mriya was assembled at different factories that were previously scattered throughout the USSR.

In an interview with Ukrayinska Pravda, Yevhen Havrylov, acting director general of Antonov, said that work is already underway in Ukraine to restore the aircraft, and some international companies have already begun cooperation with the production to raise funds for the restoration. 

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Does Ukraine need a second Mriya, according to the AN-225 crew?

The AN-225 crew commander, Dmytro Antonov, revealed the details of Mriya's operation in the pre-war period on his YouTube channel. According to the pilot, the high economic efficiency demonstrated by the aircraft indicates that Ukraine should definitely build a new Mriya.

Thus, the total flight time of the aircraft over 33 years of operation amounted to 5000 hours, with 890 hours of flight time from 2020 to 2022 alone.

"This is a very good indicator. The world needed the airplane in these years. I believe that the aircraft will be economically viable in future operations. And the aircraft is a symbol not only of Ukraine but also of Ukraine's ability to operate this type of aircraft," Antonov said.

In addition, the commander noted that the fuselage and wing are ready for the construction of the new Mriya, and the equipment remains to be manufactured. In particular, a new flight control system, fuel and hydraulic systems. At the same time, the new modern equipment that Ukraine will use for the restoration can be installed not only on the rebuilt Mriya, but also on the An-124 Ruslan aircraft that are also used in the country.

We remind you! Three major Ukrainian airlines continue to operate international flights despite restrictions in Ukraine's airspace caused by the military conflict. Read more about which airlines continue to operate abroad, serving passengers to different destinations and where Kursk-based airlines fly to in our previous article.

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