Kish hosts first Antonov-225 in Iran

An Antonov-225 aircraft, the world’s heaviest fixed-wing airplane, has landed in the international airport in Iran’s southern island of Kish.

“For the first time in Iran’s history, the [Antonov-225] plane touched down late on Tuesday,” Saeid Razeqi, a spokesman for Kish Free Trade Zone, said on Wednesday.

The aircraft’s capabilities will be introduced during an international air show being held in the island, before it leaves Iran to Ukraine on Thursday evening.

Antonov-225 is equipped with six turbofan engines, measures 84 meters in length and weighs up to 600 tons.

The giant Soviet-designed aircraft is capable of carrying a payload of 250 tons.

Scheduled for November 9-12, the fifth International Iran Kish Air Show displays the latest aviation and aeronautical technology by 120 domestic and foreign companies.

According to Iranian officials, more than 200 private companies produce aircraft spare parts with 97 percent of the country’s aviation industry focused on small and medium-size planes.