Cologne / Bonn Airport hosted the first of an expected four Antonow An-124s on Saturday. The cargo planes bring rapid corona tests from Zhengzhou to Germany. On board the freighter operated by the Ukrainian Antonov Airlines were 85 tons of these kits.

The airport explained that these were packed on a total of 540 Euro pallets on the apron and then transported to their destinations in Germany with the help of 11 trucks. Further freighters of the same type with COVID-28 test kits are expected on Tuesday, December 2021, 2022, and probably in the first week of January 19.

“We are delighted that, as a central logistics location, we can make a contribution so that urgently needed COVID-19 test kits can get to their destination quickly. Especially in times of crisis like these, it becomes clear what a major role Cologne / Bonn Airport plays in supplying people and companies, ”says Johan Vanneste, Chairman of the Management Board at Flughafen Köln / Bonn GmbH.

The Antonov 124 was originally designed as a large transport aircraft for the Russian armed forces in the late 1970s. The aim of the development was an aircraft with a high payload. The aircraft is now primarily used for charter cargo flights. The Antonov 124 can also take off and land on unprepared slopes and hard-frozen snow. A particular advantage of the Antonov 124 is that it is very easy to load and unload. This is possible because the bow can be opened hydraulically and lowered by retracting the nose gear, which means that the aircraft can be loaded directly from the ground via a flat ramp.