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How Airline Freight Works

By: Karim Nice  | 

World's Biggest Transporter

The Antonov AN-225 was the world's largest cargo plane.
Photo courtesy Nick Challoner

The world's biggest transport plane was the Antonov AN-225. With a cargo capacity of more than 250 tons, this plane could haul not just one, but three or four military tanks. The plane had a wingspan almost the length of a football field, and its cargo hold could fit 80 cars.

This plane originated to carry the Russian version of the space shuttle. With plans for the shuttle halted, the plane remained grounded from the early 1990s on. The plane underwent restoration and made its first test flight on May 7, 2001. It wound up being destroyed in 2022. 

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Now we've seen planes that haul everything from the postcard you sent your grandmother to battle tanks. You really can ship anything!

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