EDMONTON — One of the largest planes in the world made a stop at Edmonton International Airport on Friday.
The Antonov AN-124 was in town for just a couple of hours, arriving empty from Zurich, and leaving a short time later with a 50-tonne piece of oilfield equipment destined for New Orleans.
Norman Richard, the airport’s director of Air Service Development, admitted the plane gets a lot of attention everywhere it goes.
“The aircraft itself is very unique, and not all airports can actually handle the Antonov.”
Friday’s charter flight is part of EIA’s growing cargo business. Richard said being able to handle this kind of load supports manufacturers and exporters in the province.
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“Previous to the kind of facilities that are available now, our manufacturers and our shippers were forced to get on trucks to Houston, or LAX,” he said, “to actually get air cargo lift to get to the end destination.”
The 124 is designed especially for heavy and oversized cargo. It is the second-largest aircraft in the world. It’s cousin, the Antonov AN-225, is the largest. The 225 has visited Edmonton three times in the last eight years.
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