The US Government uses the AN-124 to lift heavy material to Macedonia

Published: 7/28/1999

In a further use of the An-124 by the US Government (www.concise.org 12th April 1999), the Ukrainian Antonov Airlines, owned by the Antonov Design Bureau, has received a contract to transport heavy-duty cranes from Houston in the US to the Macedonian capital Skopje. The cargo is intended for the international peacekeeping troops in Kosovo. The contract for the three one way charter flights was concluded with the U.S. company Curtis Air Services, Inc. The first flight under the contract was on July 14, with the second and the third scheduled for July 22 and 26 correspondingly. According to the Director General of Antonov Airlines,Konstantin Lushakov, the decision was made by the U.S. Department of Transport to use the Ukrainian AN-124 "Ruslan" due to its unique 130 tons lift capacity and internal dimensions for large payloads.

Article ID: 712