Huge Russian aircraft parked at Mississauga’s Pearson Airport going nowhere soon

It looks like a huge Russian cargo aircraft is going to be staying in Mississauga for a while.

An Antonov An-124 aircraft, the world’s largest production cargo plane, landed at Pearson Airport in Mississauga on Sunday morning, just before the Canadian government declared the country’s airspace closed to all Russian planes in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.

The massive plane was reportedly bringing a shipment of COVID-19 test kits from China to Pearson, via Russia and then Anchorage, Alaska, where it apparently stopped for refuelling.

Unless the aircraft receives an exemption from the Canadian government to allow it to travel home via Canadian airspace, it will remain at Pearson until further notice.

The cargo plane, registered to Volga-Dnepr Airlines, is reportedly one of a fleet of twelve such aircraft.

Russian registered Antonov An124 is now parked on Taxiway N in Toronto. It will sit here indefinitely. They planned a departure this morning,since cancelled.Arrived on Sunday from China via Russia & Anchorage. Russian aircraft are banned in Canadian airspace.
Volga-Dnepr RA-82078 https://t.co/OGXNFInAQU pic.twitter.com/3rfxhRDUs5

— Tom Podolec Aviation (@TomPodolec) February 28, 2022