Antonov An-124s at Liverpool


An-124s RA-82042 and RA-82045 at Liverpool 16th December 1993

All the visits by the Ruslan to date have been in connection with the 'Operation Christmas Child' charity, taking shoe-box sized parcels out to children in war/poverty ridden countries.

1993 RA-82042 of Volgar Dnepr/Heavylift arrived on 14th December. Aircraft went tech, requiring an engine to be brought in by IL-76. Eventually departed on 22nd. Operated f&t Stansted HLA998/100. To replace it RA-82045 arrived on 16th from Istanbul and left for Zagreb. HLA705/988.

1994 RA-82042 operated successfully, arriving on 16th December from Stansted, departing the next day for Zagreb. HLA780.

1995 This time RA-82045 repeated. Arrived 15th December,operated f&t Stansted as HLA954.

1996 At last a different airframe, RA-82043 arrived on 16th December and again operated f&t Stansted. Outbound it continued onto Yerevan. HLA884/882

1997 RA-82045 clocked up a third visit to Liverpool, arriving on 14th December from Maastrict and departing initially for Stansted. HLA982.

1998 New to Liverpool RA-82046 arrived on 5th December routed from Paris CdG to Stansted as HLA551/998

1999 RA-82043 revisited for OCC in 1999.

2000 Yet another visit by RA-82045 marked the last use by OCC of aircraft to fly out the parcels, in subsequent years road transport being used. Over the years OCC used Liverpool and the Ruslan terrific publicity for the Charity and the Airport was generated, with not only press and tv coverage but visits by thousands of school children to the airport.

Over the years other visits by Ruslans have been rumoured. Possibly the strongest was after one of Richard Branson's round-the-world balloon flights went wrong on inflation in Morocco and the canopy was being brought back to the UK for tests in the large shed at Cammel Lairds, Birkenhead.

So, to summerise: RA-82042 (twice), RA-82043 (twice), RA-82045 (four times) and RA-82046 (once) have visited Liverpool on a total of 9 visits over an 8 year span on OCC.


An An-124 loads up with "shoeboxes" for Operation Christmas Child