Footage has emerged of the destroyed Antonov An-225 being dismantled and removed from Hostomel Airport in Kyiv, Ukraine. The giant aircraft, named Mriya, was severely damaged in late February when the invasion began, in the so-called Battle of Antonov Airport.When the attack first happened, there were hopes that Mriya could be rebuilt, but subsequent images and videos released of the aircraft showed that the damage was most likely too severe for this to be possible. The extent of the damage visible in this latest video on Twitter appears to dash any remaining hope of Mriya ever being reconstructed.

The images are a stark contrast to Mriya’s former glory. At 275 feet in length, and with a wingspan of 290 feet, the An-225’s sheer size meant that it attracted attention and was always a crowd-pleaser wherever it went.

Rebuilding the second An-225

It now looks like the only option of seeing the Antonov An-225 take to the skies again would be to complete the construction of the second aircraft. Construction began but was halted when funds dried up at the fall of the Soviet Union. At the time, the aircraft was believed to be about 70% completed.

Completing the construction of the second An-225 is something that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed an interest in doing, however with an estimated cost in the region of $800 million, it remains to be seen how realistic this ambition is, and whether it will remain nothing more than a symbolic effort.

President Zelensky recently reached out to the President of Turkey to try to secure the necessary funds, but without success. He is quoted as saying,

“We wanted to build it, we needed $800 million. I appealed to the President of Turkey with a proposal to build the 2nd Mriya, but we did not find the money."

The $800 million price tag is still however cheaper than the $3 billion originally quoted by the Ukrainian defense company Ukroboronprom for the rebuild of Mriya, when it was thought to be possible.

Does the An-225 still have a place in modern aviation?

While its high running costs and aging technology may mean that operating the Antonov An-225 is no longer financially viable, the giant aircraft has proven in recent years that, despite dating back to the 1980s, it could still have a place in modern aviation. Its sheer size, which remains unbeaten, even by the Airbus A380, has made it useful in carrying cargo and aid during times of crisis, for example.

Mriya delivered relief supplies to the Dominican Republic following the 2010 earthquake in neighboring Haiti. More recently, in 2020, the aircraft set a world record for the largest shipment volume in history, when it transported over 35,000 cubic feet of crates filled with PPE at the start of the pandemic. Prior to arriving at Hostomel Airport earlier this year, its last mission was to bring nearly 90 tons of Covid tests from Tianjin, China to Denmark on February 2nd.

Only time will tell if we will once again see the Antonov An-225 take to the skies.

Do you expect to see the construction of the second An-225 completed? Share your thoughts by commenting below.

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The Simple Flying team's thoughts are with those affected by the war in Ukraine.