Headlines 1400 21st April 2018

According to the airport’s manager, the Russian plane has been provided with fuel and is expected to depart by evening as the cabin crew was on a rest-break.

Interestingly, the craft had also made an emergency landing at Colombo airport for refueling a day ago.

The Antonov AN-225 Mriya, a strategic airlift cargo aircraft, was designed by the Antonov Design Bureau in the Ukraine during the Soviet era in 1980s. Powered by six turbofan engines, it is the heaviest aircraft ever built and has a maximum takeoff weight of 640 tonnes. The Mriya also has the largest wingspan of any aircraft in operational service.