AN-124-100 said to have been destroyed in Libyan fighting

AN-124 destroyed Libya Babak Taghvaee

It appears the world’s stock of AN-124-100s has depleted further – images from social media show an apparently destroyed aircraft at Tripoli’s Mitiga Airport. One tweet from a Babak Taghvaee, shared by Aviation Safety, shows four images, one of which shows the rear end of the aircraft seemingly separated from the front half, while others show smoke pouring from the airplane. The tweet suggests it was “destroyed” during clashes involving the Libyan national army on 21 June. “An Antonov An-124 cargo plane was damaged beyond repair after being hit by artillery during fighting near the airport,” says Aviation Safety. “The Bashir al-Baqarah militia was engaged in a battle with the Deterrence Organization for Combating Organised Crime and Terrorism.”