One of the biggest planes in the world was spotted taking off from East Midlands Airport (EMA) this week. The Antonov An-124 Ruslan was seen flying over Derby last night (December 27).
It took off around 7pm, according to flighttracker24. The cargo plane is a regular visitor to the airport. After leaving EMA, the plane flew north west to Ireland and headed onwards to the US.
Derbyshire Live reports the plane's final destination was unknown as it has no registration. Those who spotted the aircraft over the East Midlands say they were impressed.
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In the Facebook group, 'What's going on in Sinfin', one person penned: "It was impressive. Wondered what it was...". Another added: "I went out to see it but the clouds were too low. I could see the nav lights flashing though."
A third said: "It went straight over my house. It was so loud and a weird noise." A fourth commented: "I heard it, I can't believe I missed it, it sounded different."
According to aircharter.co.uk, the Antonov An-124 Ruslan is one of the world's largest civil cargo aircraft. It was designed in Kiev, Ukraine, and is used for carrying heavy loads.
Certain models can reportedly transport up to 150,000 kg of goods. The website Simple Flying says 22 An-124 planes are currently active, with most operated by the Russian Air Force and some operated by a Russian cargo specialist. A Ukrainian freight specialist has five of the planes and the UAE has one.
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