One of the biggest cargo planes in the world made a stop at the Edmonton International Airport (EIA) Saturday afternoon. For the first time, three Antonov AN-124 aircraft arrived at EIA within 24 hours. “It’s a bit of a bright spot for us in a time when we are in this long, temporary downturn on passenger travel,” EIA president and CEO Tom Ruth said.
There are only 55 of the behemoths worldwide. It has four turbofan engines and more than 20 tires. It can carry 150 tonnes — or 23 elephants.
The plane doesn’t make an appearance in Edmonton that often. Ruth said it’s all part of their air cargo strategy. “Edmonton is becoming more and more known as a North American air cargo gateway,” Ruth explained. “We’ve invested a lot of time and strategy