Volga-Dnepr AN-124 Transports Fuselage Section of New Generation of Russian Passenger Aircraft

One of Volga-Dnepr Airlines’ giant AN-124-100 freighters was needed to transport a fuselage section for the new Irkut MS-21 Russian passenger aircraft.

The aircraft section was transported between the Russian cities of Irkutsk and Zhukovsky on February 25^th.

The dimensions of the outsize cylindrical fuselage section were 11.5 metres in length, 4.7 metres in width and 4.2 metres in height so the gap between the AN-124-100 cargo hold’s contour was minimal and required all of Volga-Dnepr’s technical loading expertise to ensure it was moved on and off the aircraft safely. Loading the piece of fuselage required the development of special tackle which was produced in cooperation between the specialists at Volga-Dnepr and the Irkutsk Aviation Plant.

The metal fuselage was manufactured by the Irkutsk Aviation Plant and carried to the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute named after N.E. Zhukovsky to conduct tests. The Irkut MS-21 belongs to the new generation of passenger aircraft and its development and production is being supported by the Russian federal programme for ‘The Development of civil aviation in Russia until 2015’. The Irkut MS-21 is one of the key projects of the Russian aviation industry in the civil aircraft market.

Volga-Dnepr has a proven track record of moving aircraft fuselage sections and its customers for these specialist movements have previously included British Aerospace and Sukhoi Civil Aircraft.