Rare Soviet era plane spotted in the sky over Cov & Warks

EAGLE-EYED plane spotters in Coventry and Warwickshire may have spotted an unusual sight yesterday - as a Soviet era aircraft came in to land at Birmingham Airport.

The Antonov An-74 aircraft, operated by Ukrainian airline Motor Sich, landed at the Midlands airport shortly after 3pm on October 21.

The unique looking aircraft has large twin engines positioned above the wings unlike more traditional aircraft.

It is believed that the aircraft was especially chartered to transport the Zorya Luhansk football team to the Midlands.

Photos, captured by Yvonne Lewis caught the moment that the An-74 touched down at Birmingham Airport.

First built in 1983, the aircraft was manufactured by Antonov - the then Soviet aircraft manufacturer, and later Ukrainian state-owned company.

The aircraft was initially designed for use in less hospitable environments such as the arctic and Siberia.

As a result, it has a large number of landing wheels, which would have made for a smooth landing at Birmingham Airport.

It travelled over fiveand-a-half hours, departing from Zaporizhzhia International Airport in the Ukraine in the morning.

Though the exact number is not known, there are but a small number of commercial An-74 aircraft in operation and their presence in the UK is extremely uncommon with no regular flights using this aircraft.

Its sister aircraft, the Antonov An-225, is the heaviest aircraft in the world, and also has the longest wingspan.

Along with Motor Sich airlines, the plane is used by the air force of Egypt, Iran, and Turkmenistan.

The aircraft was set to depart for Eastern Europe yesterday.