The most expensive parking spot
Owners are waiting for giant plane to be contracted to fly again
A GIANT Russian cargo plane which is ‘stuck’ at AlicanteElche airport is providing a boon to state coffers.
Volga-Dnepr Airlines is having to pay more than €1,000 a day to ‘park’ its Antonov An-124.
State news agency EFE reported that the aircraft – which is one of the largest in the world – landed on March 28 after bringing in a cargo from the Ivory Coast, but currently has no new journey scheduled.
EFE reported that it is parked on one of the auxiliary runways at Alicante-Elche.
The airline is already facing a bill of more than €20,000 – and rising – which will have to be paid to state airport operator AENA.
They explained that the daily rate is calculated on the weight of the aircraft – and this machine was, until the advent of the Boeing 747-8F, the world’s heaviest gross weight production cargo plane.
“Because this was not a commercial flight we do not know how long this technical halt will continue for,” noted an EFE source. “It could be there until it is contracted to pick up a cargo from another part of the world.”
They explained that the Antonov An-124 usually carries very large loads, with a capacity to take up to 150 tonnes, along with 88 passengers. In the past these planes have been used to transport yachts to Alicante which have taken part in the Volvo Ocean Race.
Volga-Dnepr Airlines specialises in providing air charter services with its fleet of 12 Antonov An-124 and is classed as a world leader in the global market for the movement of oversized and heavy air cargo.