An Antonov An-124 aircraft, owned by Antonov Airlines, has departed from Kyiv, Ukraine, after being grounded for over three years. The aircraft arrived in Leipzig, Germany, on July 11. This movement is notable as it is one of the few instances of an aircraft leaving Ukraine amid Russia's full-scale invasion.
Previously, two Turkish Air Force Airbus A400M planes and a Wizz Air Airbus A320 had also left Ukraine under similar circumstances. The An-124, registered as UR-82073, took off from Kyiv to Leipzig Halle Airport (LEJ), where Antonov Airlines relocated its operations following the Russian invasion in February 2022.
Flightradar24 data shows that the cargo plane activated its transponder near the Polish-Ukrainian border at around 14:17 local time. After flying for over an hour, it crossed into Germany and landed in Leipzig at approximately 14:33 local time.