Antonov Airlines renames its aircraft after Ukrainian cities

Antonov Airlines announced that it has given new names to all aircraft in its fleet.

10 airplanes belonging to Ukraine’s largest cargo airline will now carry the names of the country’s cities most affected by Russia’s ongoing Russian.

The change was announced on July 28, the Day of Ukrainian Statehood.

According to Antonov, each aircraft will bear the name of a ‘Hero City of Ukraine’, an honorary title given to the cities for resisting Russian occupation.

Seven Antonov An-124s were named after Bucha, Irpin, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Okhtyrka, Kherson and Mariupol.

The company’s only light turboprop An-28 was named Chernihiv. Hostomel’s name was given to an An-175 military transport aircraft, which operates with the company, while one recently ungrounded An-158 regional passenger transport plane now bears the name of Volnovakha.

The renaming was part of the “Be Brave Like Ukraine” campaign. Each aircraft will be adorned with an inscription, urging people to continue to show bravery in the face of conflict, much like the country’s cities. For example, the An-124-100M, registration UR82009, which was damaged in a hangar at Hostomel but is going to be repaired, will bear the inscription “Be Brave Like Mariupol”.