Longer than the A380, the wingspan a few meters wider than the Airbus model, and six engines for sufficient thrust - the An-225 model from the Ukrainian manufacturer and operator Antonov is the largest cargo aircraft in the world and is in demand for heavy special transport.

But after Russian attacks, it is unclear whether it can start again.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on the short message portal Twitter that Russia had "destroyed" "our Mriya" - the nickname of the 33-year-old unique aircraft of which there is only one example.

Mriya is Ukrainian and means dream.

Timo Kotowski

Editor in Business.

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There was no confirmation from Antonov of a possible destruction.

But what the company says about the plane that was at the attacked Hostomel Airport near Kyiv does not sound particularly hopeful.

As long as the An-225 has not been inspected by experts, "we cannot report anything on the technical condition of the aircraft," Antonov also said on Twitter.

The future of a particularly symbolic cargo plane is currently at least uncertain.

No direct flights to Moscow

Russia's attack on Ukraine has consequences for aviation that reach far beyond the crisis region.

There are no direct flights between Russia and the EU for the time being – Belarus can no longer be reached directly from Germany either.

If you want to travel from London, Amsterdam or Frankfurt to Moscow, you have to accept at least one detour with a change in Istanbul.

Turkish Airlines still flies passengers to Russia.

There are hardly any alternatives for freight.

At German freight bases such as Frankfurt and Leipzig, there are said to be loads for Russia that are no longer transported.

The airspace over Russia remains blocked for airlines from more and more countries.

Detours are therefore also necessary for flights from Europe to China, Japan and South Korea, which usually take the route via Siberia.

Airlines from now 36 countries are no longer allowed to take this route.

Moscow was reacting to sanctions from various countries – including the entire EU, which had banned landings by the state-owned Russian Aeroflot or banned Russian overflights.

Finnair sounds the alarm

Deutsche Lufthansa informed that Far East flights, which should henceforth fly around Russia to the south, now take longer to reach their destination.

Therefore, adjustments in the flight plans are necessary.

The escalation hits the Finnish company Finnair particularly hard.

A significant part of their business consisted of bringing travelers with a connection in Helsinki to the Far East via northern Russia via a very short route.

This is no longer possible.

Finnair boss Topi Manner said most flights to Asia are no longer economically viable.

All connections to Tokyo, Osaka, Shanghai and Seoul were initially suspended until March 6th.