World’s largest aircraft lands at McCarran

Friday, April 30, 2004 | 11:09 a.m.

Aviation enthusiasts watched from the Sunset Road viewing area Thursday as the Antonov Airlines AN-225, the world's largest aircraft, landed at McCarran International Airport. The Ukrainian aircraft delivered a 160-ton electric power transformer, which was shipped from Istanbul, Turkey, to Las Vegas, and will be delivered to Sempra Energy's El Dorado power plant near Boulder City. The cargo plane has six engines, a payload capacity of 250 tons and a wingspan of 290 feet -- almost 80 feet wider than a Boeing 747. The AN-225 was originally designed to ferry a space shuttle and large components used in the Soviet space program during the late-1980s.

archive