Canada to donate An-124 to Ukraine

The Canadian Government has decided on a new package of aid for Ukraine. A notable part of that package for us aviation enthusiasts is an Antonov An-124 of Volga-Dnepr Airlines. The Ruslan, RA-82078 (9773054559153), arrived at Toronto-Lester B. Pearson on 27 February 2022 but wasn't able to leave due to sanctions imposed prohibited Russian airlines to operate over Canadian airspace. Since then, the aircraft has racked-up a significant parking bill which the airline has refused to pay. As a result, the aircraft has officially been seized by the authorities and will now be donated to Ukraine.

Volga-Dnepr Airlines was founded in 1990 and commenced operations in 1991. It has specialized in carrying large and outsized cargo. Since the war, however, operations have been very limited for its sixteen strong aircraft fleet, with operations mainly flown within Russia and to China. The breakdown and status of the fleet is:

• RA-82043 An-124-100 (9773054155101), stored at Leipzig-Halle since 28 January 2022
• RA-82044 An-124-100 (9773954155109), operational
• RA-82045 An-124-100 (9773052255113), stored at Leipzig-Halle since 13 January 2019
• RA-82046 An-124-100 (9773052255117), stored at Leipzig-Halle since 23 February 2022
• RA-82047 An-124-100 (9773053259121), operational
• RA-82068 An-124-100 (9773051359127), stored at Ulyanovsk since 14 November 2018
• RA-82074 An-124-100 (9773051459142), parked at Ulyanovsk since 27 February 2023
• RA-82077 An-124-100 (9773054459151), operational
• RA-82078 An-124-100 (9773054559153), stored at Toronto-Lester B. Pearson since 28 February 2022
• RA-82079 An-124-100 (9773052062157), parked at Ulyanovsk since 1 November 2022
• RA-82081 An-124-100 (9773051462165), parked at Ulyanovsk since 29 December 2022
• RA-76503 Il-76TD-90VD (2093422748), operational
• RA-76511 Il-76TD-90VD (2123422752), operational
• RA-76950 Il-76TD-90VD (2043420697), operational
• RA-76951 Il-76TD-90VD (2073421704), operational
• RA-76952 Il-76TD-90VD (1063422743), operational

Photo by Tom Podolec at Toronto-Lester B. Pearson on 28 February 2022.