“Antonov” is NOT building a new An-225 “Mriya”

Despite the words of Acting Director General of the Ukrainian State Enterprise “Antonov” Yevhen Gavrilov, published in Bild, the company is not building a new An-225 “Mriya” yet.

“The works are carried out in a secret place. The second An-225 will be provided with both new parts and parts of the damaged aircraft,” Gavrilov told Bild.

According to the Acting Director General of “Antonov” State Enterprise, the construction cost is estimated at €500 million and allegedly the German international airport “Leipzig/Halle”, which has long been cooperating with Antonov State Enterprise and is currently the base for the surviving An-124, will help to raise funds for the new “Mriya”.

Later, “Antonov” partially denied this information.

“Currently, design work has begun in this direction. According to available expert estimates, currently there are about 30 percent of components that can be used for the second model of the aircraft. The cost of building the aircraft is estimated at least 500 million euros. However, it is too early to talk about the specific amount. More detailed information will be distributed after the victory of Ukraine in the war.” – this message appeared on the official page of the State Enterprise “Antonov”.

As for the airport “Leipzig/Halle”, on November 7, 2022, the exhibition “Ukraine: with a Dream in the Heart” dedicated to the AN-225 “Mriya” was opened on its territory.

As a reminder, on February 27, 2022, it became known that the world’s largest transport aircraft An-225 “Mriya” was destroyed during an attempt to seize the Gostomel airport near Kyiv by Russian occupiers.

In October 2022, the Security Service of Ukraine reported preliminary conclusions on the investigation of the circumstances of the destruction of the An-225 “Mriya”. The investigation found that officials, despite the warnings of state authorities, did not take appropriate measures to preserve the aircraft.

The first report that the State Enterprise “Antonov” is going to revive the An-225 “Mriya” at the expense of philanthropists appeared in March 2022 and caused a rather negative reaction of the society. Thus, ex-commander of “Mriya” Dmytro Antonov criticized the initiative of SE “Antonov” and called it a fraud during the war. In fact, the feasibility of reviving the largest aircraft in the world remains a big question.