The world’s largest cargo aircraft, Antonov An-225 Mriya, had made a technical stopover at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport for at least 21 hours last week before heading towards Cotswolds, England.
The flight was a part of the NATO forces’ withdrawal process, with the cargo belly carrying military equipment and foreign soldiers from war-torn Afghanistan.
The transfer of supplies had also generated significant revenue for Pakistan as the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) was paid more than Rs. 50 million in cargo bills, as per its NATO equipment document.
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According to the CAA’s sources, NATO’s equipment had weighed more than 430,000 kg and had included military vehicles, weapons, and lithium batteries, most of which had been delivered in the name of the Italian Ministry of Defense.
The Soviet-era plane had also carried three British Royal Air Force helicopters among other unspecified equipment on the supply ledger.
The transfer of NATO’s supplies is still underway, and more revenue is expected as further deliveries are dispatched in subsequent cycles.
