Ukrainian Antonov Airlines is consolidating its presence at Leipzig/Halle Airport and converting its temporary base, which has been in place since the beginning of 2022, into a permanent infrastructure.
Earthworks have already begun on a 24.000-square-meter site in the northern part of Germany's second-largest cargo airport for a modern maintenance hangar. Construction is scheduled to start no later than April 2026, with completion of the entire project planned for 2027. The construction is based on a leasehold agreement that the airport operator has concluded with Antonov Logistics Salis GmbH (ALS). This agreement addresses the company's need to permanently maintain and operate its fleet of six An-124 cargo aircraft outside of Ukraine.
Leipzig/Halle Airport has served as a strategic base for Antonov Airlines' fleet since the outbreak of the Russian war of aggression. In the hours immediately preceding the invasion in February 2022, the company's airline managed to fly a large portion of its aircraft out of Kyiv, thus saving them from destruction. A remarkable operational success was the transfer of a sixth An-124 in July 2025, which was moved from the company's Kyiv-Svyatoshyn Airport to Saxony. The choice of Leipzig as the location was no coincidence: Antonov has maintained a maintenance base at the Saxon hub since 2006, which plays a central role in the transport of heavy loads and military equipment within the framework of NATO's SALIS (Strategic Airlift International Solution) program.
While Antonov Airlines is investing heavily in the future of the site, the fate of other large cargo aircraft stationed there remains uncertain. Three more An-124 aircraft, belonging to the Russian operator Volga-Dnepr, are currently parked at the airport. These aircraft have been impounded since 2021 due to current sanctions and airspace restrictions and cannot leave the hub until further notice. In contrast, Antonov is using the new base to further expand its market leadership in civil and military heavy-lift logistics. The new hangar will allow complex maintenance work on the massive engines and airframes to be carried out more efficiently and regardless of the weather.
The new facility underscores the growing importance of Leipzig/Halle Airport as one of Europe's key logistics hubs. Alongside DHL's express freight business, the specialization in oversized and heavy-lift transport forms a second economic pillar for the region. Antonov's new investment will create additional highly skilled jobs in aircraft maintenance and logistics planning. Since the An-124 is one of the few aircraft worldwide capable of transporting extremely bulky goods such as satellites, turbines, or relief supplies over long distances, the permanent base in Leipzig ensures the global availability of these unique transport capabilities for international clients.