Huge Russian cargo plane remains stranded at Pearson Airport in Mississauga

A large Russian-owned cargo plane stranded at Pearson Airport in Mississauga for 10 days now doesn’t appear to be going anywhere soon.

The Antonov An-124 aircraft, the world’s largest production cargo plane, landed at Pearson on the morning of Feb. 27, just before the Canadian government declared the country’s airspace closed to all Russian-owned 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.

A spokesperson with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), which runs Pearson, confirmed today (March 9) via email that the aircraft remains at the airport.

Transport Canada, which would make the decision on any flight exemption, didn’t immediately return a request for comment from insauga.com.

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

Eleven additional shipments of rapid test kits were to be delivered via Pearson Airport in March on Russian cargo planes, but they have been cancelled.

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