Antonov Airlines An-124 Loses Part of Fuselage on Takeoff at Nagoya; Runway Closed 50 Minutes
Why It MattersTwo An-124 events at one airport in about three weeks show how an ageing, narrow heavy-lift fleet leaves outsize cargo shippers exposed to unplanned groundings and runway disruptions.
What happened
An Antonov Airlines Antonov An-124, registration UR-82007, shed part of the aircraft as it departed Chubu Centrair Airport in Nagoya, Japan, for Clark International Airport (CRK) in the Philippines on November 10. The part was seen falling to the ground shortly after liftoff. Social media reports asserted it was part of the fuselage, and aeroTELEGRAPH said the aircraft was operating a flight numbered ADB357F.
The jet continued safely to Clark, touching down just under five hours later. It has remained there and has not flown since the incident. The Aviation Herald reported that Nagoya's 3,500-meter (11,483-foot) runway 18/36 was closed for 50 minutes to clear the debris. Simple Flying has contacted Antonov Airlines for comment.
It was the second An-124 incident at Nagoya in about three weeks. On October 22, another An-124, UR-82029, was seen on fire as it arrived from Fairbanks International Airport (FAI) in Alaska. The fire affected the aircraft's auxiliary power unit (APU), which supplies power to systems that operate independently of the engines. Local media reported the fire was quickly extinguished and the jet stopped safely in its parking space. Airport operations resumed after a 15-minute runway closure, and the aircraft was back in service the next day.
The fleet involved
Antonov Airlines currently operates six An-124s, and the fleet averages 36.3 years in age. UR-82007 is the oldest at 40.4 years and carries the name 'Be brave like Mykolaiv'; UR-82029 is 35.4 years old and named 'Be brave like Bucha'.
The airline flew the world's only complete An-225 'Mriya' until its destruction during Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. It has also previously flown two other An-124s and three An-140s. Since the invasion, it has based its fleet at Leipzig/Halle Airport (LEJ).
Industry impact & what to watch
Foreign object debris on a runway can endanger following aircraft, which is why even a 50-minute closure at a single-runway-dependent cargo gateway matters beyond the aircraft involved. The 2000 crash of Air France Concorde flight AF4590 in Paris is the standard reminder of what debris can do.
Heavy-lift capacity of this kind sits with very few airframes. When one of six An-124s is parked at Clark after losing part of its structure, the remaining fleet carries the same outsize-cargo demand, and charterers planning project cargo have fewer alternatives to switch to.
The next fact that would clarify the picture is the airline's response to Simple Flying's request for comment, followed by any statement on when UR-82007 returns to service from Clark.
