Maximus Air’s An-124 marks new cargo milestone at NMIA
The Antonov An-124 arrived from Abu Dhabi with 46 tonnes of cargo, marking a new milestone for NMIA’s outsized cargo capabilities.
Image credit: @vanmspotter/Instagram
Navi Mumbai International Airport received its first-ever Antonov An-124 "Ruslan," a Code F wide-bodied freighter and one of the largest cargo aircraft in the world, at around 12:13 pm on 2 September 2026, arriving from Abu Dhabi with approximately 46 tonnes of cargo. The aircraft was operated by Maximus Air, an all-cargo airline in the UAE operating out of Abu Dhabi Airport and specialising in moving outsized air cargo, using a fleet that includes an Antonov AN-124-100 and two Ilyushin IL-76TDs.
Maximus Air's An-124-100 carries a maximum payload of 120 tonnes within a hold spanning 850 cubic metres, measuring 36.5 by 6.4 by 4.4 metres, and has a maximum take-off weight of 392 tonnes. Onboard cranes give it the ability to load and unload itself even at remote or poorly equipped locations.
What sets the aircraft apart is its front-loading design, the entire nose swings open on a hinge, letting oversized consignments such as industrial machinery, turbines or aircraft components be driven or winched straight into the cargo hold. Developed by the Antonov Design Bureau, the An-124 first flew in 1982.
The landing extends a rapid progression of cargo milestones at Navi Mumbai since the airport's commercial launch on 25 December 2025. IndiGo Cargo operated NMIA's first dedicated freighter service on 1 August, to Sharjah, followed by Hong Kong Air Cargo becoming the first international carrier to launch dedicated freighter operations at the airport, with its inaugural flight on 16 August.
Chennai-based Afcom Cargo shifted its own freighter operations from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai from the same date, launching three-weekly Boeing 737 freighter flights to Dubai World Central. National Airlines' Boeing 747-400F then became the largest aircraft to land at NMIA on 24 August, arriving from Frankfurt-Hahn.
