Damaged Due To The Russian-Ukraine War, The World's Largest Commercial Plane AN-225 Will Be Rebuilt

The Antonov An-225 plane was destroyed by a Russian attack. (Wikimedia Commons/Oleksandr Ratushniak)

JAKARTA - For aerospace lovers, the name Antonov AN-225 Mriya is an iconic aircraft, the largest commercial aircraft that many dreams of getting on it.

Unfortunately, the plane was destroyed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, causing sadness among airplane lovers, because there are no similar aircraft in the world.

Not long ago, the company Antonov announced in a tweet that a rebuilding project had begun, with "design work" in the near future.

To revive this large aircraft, the company estimates it will cost more than 500 million euros. The company is also said to already have about 30 percent of the components needed.

Initially, Ukraine's state defense company Ukroboronprom, which manages Antonov, issued a statement estimating the cost of recovery of more than $3 billion, promised to be paid by Russia. The rebuilding will take at least five years, he said at the time.

Antonov then confirmed to CNN that the project was being worked on.

"The process of rebuilding the plane called 'Mriya' is considered an international project, with the participation of airlines from various countries in the world," he said by email, launching CNN November 11.

"The possibility of withdrawing funds from various sources is being considered, with proposals from many organizations ready to join the project being reviewed."

The company said it would coordinate research, design and assembly, confirming there are still main fuselage units for new aircraft that have not been destroyed.

"This program is developing to conduct expert assessments of these units, for further calculations and design work," he wrote, adding that construction would be "as soon as Ukraine wins."

The announcement coincided with the launch of an exhibition dedicated to the plane at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany, which is home to five other Antonov aircraft.

At the opening, Oleksify Makeiev, Ukraine's Ambassador to Germany, announced that even though he had flown "almost all AN planes, Mriya remained a dream for me," in a statement issued by the company.

"We hope it will be restored and we will see thisitored bird in the sky again," he added.

Dubbed 'Mriya', Ukrainian for 'guides', the massive plane was built in the 1980s to bring the Soviet Union's shuttle.

It was announced on February 27, 2022, with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeting that "Russia may have destroyed our 'Mriya'. But they will never be able to destroy our dream of a strong, free, and democratic European country."

Antonov's company said at the time that it was unable to verify aircraft conditions. Meanwhile, CNN journalist Vasco Cotovio noted that the aircraft nose appeared to have received a "direct artillery strike" and "completely destroyed" when he saw it in April.

"There was severe damage to the wings and several engines. The tip of the tail was protected from large collisions and had several holes caused by fractions of bullets or bullets," he said at the time, estimating that repairs were unlikely.