World's largest aircraft lands at Mattala

The world's largest aircraft, Antonov An-225 Mriya has landed at the Mattala International Airport this morning (18). 

Airport officials say that plane landed at Mattala for refueling purposes and to enable the plane's crew to rest. 

The aircraft, which landed at around 6.35am today, is enroute from Malaysia to Karachchi, Pakistan. The plane has a crew of 24. 

Built in the 1980s in the former Soviet Union, the Antonov An-225 Mriya is a strategic airlift cargo aircraft. It is powered by six turbofan engines and is the heaviest aircraft ever built, with a maximum takeoff weight of 640 tonnes. It also has the largest wingspan of any aircraft in operational service. 

Pix by Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi in Hambantota

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