Hurdles for a rebuild of the giant aircraft, which was destroyed in February while undergoing repairs at an airfield near Kyiv, remain significant. Antonov estimates that a rebuild of the giant aircraft, which had an 88-metre wingspan, will cost “at least” €500 million (US$500 million), and acknowledged that could grow further as it was “too early” to talk about specific costs.
Plans are being made to rebuild the world’s largest plane first destroyed by Russian forces in the early days of its invasion of Ukraine – though its manufacturer says such a goal remains far off.
Design work on a second Antonov An-225 cargo plane, also known as the Mriya – “dream” in Ukrainian – has begun, according to a statement posted on Facebook Monday by state-owned Antonov Co., which said exact details will only be specified once Russia’s war in Ukraine ends.
