Watch as the world's largest cargo plane lands in Scotland

Crowds have gathered at Prestwick Airport to watch the world’s largest cargo plane touch down.
By Alison Campsie
Published 2nd Aug 2020, 16:51 BST
Updated 2nd Aug 2020, 18:32 BST

The Antonov AN-225 landed at around 3pm following a Transatlantic flight from Maine and will undergo a “tech stop" before heading onto Châteauroux-Centre Airport in France.

Around 1,000 people gathered around the airport for the spectacle, with some travelling from as far away as London to see the landing.

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Around 1,000 people gathered at Prestwick Airport to see the Antonov AN-225 land. PIC: @LIKWID/TwitterAround 1,000 people gathered at Prestwick Airport to see the Antonov AN-225 land. PIC: @LIKWID/Twitter
Around 1,000 people gathered at Prestwick Airport to see the Antonov AN-225 land. PIC: @LIKWID/Twitter
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Police issued safety advice ahead of the event, with the airport opening up an extra car park to cope with the crowds.

Spectators said the plane used the entire runway as it landed at Prestwick, given its weight.

“I’m in absolutley awe, what an incredble machine," one spectator posted on social media.

The Antonov AN-225 has a maximum take-off weight of 640 tonnes and was originally designed to carry the Russian space shuttle by the Antonov Design Bureau in the Ukrainian SSR during the 1980s.

The plane, which is powered by six turboengines, was originally built to transport a Russian space shuttle. PIC: Creative CommonsThe plane, which is powered by six turboengines, was originally built to transport a Russian space shuttle. PIC: Creative Commons
The plane, which is powered by six turboengines, was originally built to transport a Russian space shuttle. PIC: Creative Commons

The plane is due to take on 40 tonnes of fuel just to make the short journey to France, with it scheduled to depart around 4.30pm.

-The video was taken by Josh Leyton.

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Related topics:FranceSpectatorsPolice