The mastodon landed around 11am this Sunday. The world's largest cargo plane, the Antonov An-225 Mriya, arrived at Paris-Vatry airport (Marne) on Sunday with some eight million medical masks on board to fight the epidemic of Covid-19, noted an AFP photographer.
This plane, coming from Tianjin (China), landed with on board "150 tonnes of cargo (masks, gloves, charlottes, overalls ...)", told AFP an airport spokesperson. .
A request from a private company
This flight is not part of the "airlift" launched between China and France to deal with the Covid-19 epidemic, said the spokesman. "It is not a government order, it is a request from a French private company," he said, without giving the name of this company.
Arrival at @Paris_Vatry airport of the Antonov-225, 1,000 m3 of freight for a world record. The demonstration of the advantages and advanced know-how of our airport platform. International. pic.twitter.com/yaIBQelCwb
- Christian Bruyen (@ChristianBruyen) April 19, 2020According to an airport press release, this plane touched down for the last time in Vatry in 2014. Its "little brother", the Antonov-124, is expected Sunday afternoon in Vatry with some 10 million on board of masks.
Since March 30 and the arrival of a cargo plane carrying 8.5 million medical masks, between one and three freight planes have been landing on the tarmac of this airport every day for various customers (French State, local authorities or private companies), said the airport in its press release. These flights come entirely from China. Thus, Sunday evening, "the airport will have processed the arrival of nearly 150 million masks".
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