Successful secret plan: Antonow surprisingly ends up in Leipzig!

Successful secret plan: Antonow surprisingly ends up in Leipzig!

Leipzig, Deutschland - on July 11, 2025, recently, a surprising flight from Kiev to Leipzig caused excitement. A modernized Antonow aircraft, more precisely the AN-124 model, the Ukrainian airline "Antonow Airlines", landed successfully in Germany. The machine, which is almost 70 meters long and looks back on an impressive record of over 21,000 flight hours, has been extensively revised in recent years. The aim of the modernization was to replace all Russian components with western components. These work, which stalled several times due to the continuing Russian war of aggression, were finally completed in June 2025.

The aircraft was filmed by many people during the departure from Kyiv. Even though Ukrainian airspace has been closed to civil aircraft since the Russian attack in February 2022. In order to remain undetected, the Antonow machine flew to the Polish border without a transponder signal, which apparently even surprised the Russian army. This then criticized the inadequate monitoring of airspace over the Ukrainian airports. Ultimately, the plane landed at 2:38 p.m. local time in Leipzig, where it was solemnly received with a water baptism.

a strong sign of independence

The arrival of this aircraft is not only a logistical coup, but also a strong sign of the technical independence of Ukraine in Russia. With this landing, the fleet of "Antonow Airlines" increases on six machines, which opens up new possibilities on international routes to the company. This further development could significantly help to expand Ukrainian transport capacities and to demonstrate the credibility of air logistics. The fear that the Ukrainian airline could be able to transport weapons from all over the world to Rzeszów in Polish - a central transshipment point for arms imports to Ukraine.

In contrast to this positive development, the sad news of the loss of Antonow An-225, which was known as the largest freight aircraft in the world and was destroyed during the war. This machine was a figurehead of the Ukrainian aviation and its loss continues to cause great grief in the country. It turns out that despite all the adverse circumstances, Ukraine takes innovative steps and the modernization of the aircraft fleet is an important part of this strategy.

The developments related to Antonow An-124 are certainly more than just a quick business. They stand for the determination of Ukraine, despite the challenges and to actively strengthen their own aviation industry.