Giant cargo plane draws plane spotters to Billund Airport

A cargo plane among the world’s largest landed in Billund Airport on Wednesday afternoon, drawing aviation enthusiasts to the perimeter fence hours before arrival, Danish broadcaster DR reported.

The Antonov An-124 is scheduled to collect two heavy construction machines, each weighing around 40 tonnes, for transport to a mine in Africa, said Nicolai Krøyer, director of cargo handling at the airport.

Spotter Jan Faust said he learned of the landing on Facebook on Tuesday evening and decided he had to go. “I told my wife: this I have to go and see,” he said. Faust, who served 35 years in the Home Guard, said he is used to large equipment but the Antonov is special, and Billund allows close viewing. “If you have good binoculars, you can see the pilot in the cockpit,” he said.

Krøyer noted that the operation requires two 110‑tonne mobile cranes to load the cargo, equipment not used in daily work. “We think it’s enormous,” he said.

The aircraft is expected to depart on Thursday.