A Russian Air Force An-124 flew into New York's JFK International Airport on April 1st. The aircraft brought in much-needed medical supplies to the Big Apple after making some stops in Canada and Ireland.

Russian Air Force An-124 flies into New York

A Russian Air Force An-124 flew into New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on April 1st. Onboard the massive aircraft was a huge supply of medical supplies to help the heavily-affected city.

Russian flight aid
A Russian Air Force An-124 brought in medical supplies to New York City. Photo: TASS/Getty Images

On arrival in New York, the tower thanked the crew for flying in the assistance and wished them a good day.

The Russian Mission to the United Nations posted an update on its Twitter page indicating that United States President Donald Trump accepted aid from Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 30th. Two days later, the gigantic An-124 arrived in New York carrying tons of medical supplies.

Special arrivals in New York

JFK Airport boasted some interesting arrivals on April 1st. Aside from this Russian aid flight, a Wizz Air Airbus A321neo operating a repatriation flight also made some stops at JFK today.

An-124
The Russian Air Force An-124 was not the only special aircraft in New York on April 1st. Photo: Getty Images

The An-124

The Antonov An-124 is a large cargo aircraft. According to the manufacturer, the aircraft took off for the first time ever on Christmas Eve in 1982. Onboard, the aircraft can carry up to 150 tons of cargo.

AN-124
Cargo operations could help save the day for airports. Photo: Getty Images

The aircraft takes up a sizable amount of space at just over 69 meters long, 21 meters high, and with a wingspan of 73 meters. In comparison, the Airbus A380 is just over 72.5 meters long, around 21 meters high, and has a wingspan of 79.75 meters. Thus, the A380 is just slightly larger than the An-124. Nevertheless, the An-124 has an incredible capacity.

An-124
The massive An-124 is just a little smaller than the Airbus A380. Photo: Getty Images

Other special features of this incredibly large aircraft include a kneeling feature that moves the nose of the aircraft closer to the ground. In addition, the aircraft has two doors – one in the front and one in the back to allow for easier loading and offloading.

The An-124 has a kneeling feature at the nose allowing for easier access to loading and unloading cargo. Photo:

The An-124 has a bigger sibling in the massive An-225.

An 225
The AN-225 was initially commissioned to transport the Soviet Buran space rocket and costs about $1 million to charter. Photo: Getty Images

Overall

On April 1st, 2020, the An-124 cargo aircraft made a special appearance at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. The Russian Air Force aircraft was loaded with much-needed medical and humanitarian aid destined for the front lines in the fight against COVID-10 in heavily-hit New York City.

Did you catch sight of this An-124? Are you surprised to see an An-124 at a U.S. airport? Let us know in the comments!