Plans to bring the world's largest cargo aircraft to Bahrain could be completed within a year, said a report.

Turk Heavy Transport is working towards becoming the second Gulf agents of the Antonov AN-225, which can transport trains, heavy industrial equipment, military vehicles and commercial airplanes such as Boeing 737.

The Antonov's first Gulf agent is Abu Dhabi-based Maximus Air Cargo.

The Ukrainian-built aircraft, which is the size of a football field, touched down in Bahrain two months ago to deliver a gigantic transformer for Alba.

Company business development manager Jamal Abdulaziz Al Baluchi believes there is a market for the mammoth plane in Bahrain.

However, the plans could prove to be difficult to implement as the country's runway is too short to accommodate the $600 million airplane on a regular basis.

"This aircraft is so versatile that it can carry almost anything and quickly," the airline export expert told the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

"It is an aircraft that is not cheap to run and not cheap to hire and will cater to the larger industries in Bahrain like Alba and Bapco, as well as the very wealthy as they have been known to transport yachts.

"In the past the plane has been used to transport military helicopters into war zone countries and it cost around $2 million.

"If you remove the wings you can even carry a Boeing 737 inside this plane, and its uses don't end there. They can be used to deliver up to 250 tonnes of goods," he stated.

"We still need to work out a deal with suppliers but within about a year I believe that will be set to receive the Antonov."

Although the aircraft would have a plethora of uses in Bahrain, it would mostly benefit industrial and commercial industries, explained Turk Group partner and director Khalid Turk.

However, he said Bahrain has to revamp the runway at Bahrain International Airport, which is too short to accommodate large planes.

"At the end of the day almost everything that comes in an Antonov is going to an industry belonging to the government and if the demand increases the government will either have to extend the runway or provide an alternative runway that is longer," he said.

"It is for the benefit of the country because the country has to develop industrially, so they (government) have to meet the demand.

"In the next three to four years we are expecting several major industrial projects to come up; therefore there will be an influx of imported material and cargo."

To bring the $600 million aircraft to Bahrain it requires long-term planning, but Turk believes it will be an invaluable asset to the country.

"Sometime you have emergency cargo required, for example if a substation needs a particular type of transformer and it needs to be in Bahrain as soon as possible, instead of taking four weeks (by ship) it can be here in less than a week," he said.

"With the Antonov being able to potentially deliver large objects overnight it saves a lot of down time and saves a lot of money comparatively because if a substation isn't working and connected to factories the losses can be huge - also if it is connected to housing then you can't leave them on standby for four weeks.

"Also if the ship repair yard needs a heavy duty engine then it can also be transported overnight.

"Any major industry that would require a large item, for example a refinery, the petrochemical industry or for whatever industry - if it is an urgent matter then that is where the Antonov comes into the picture," he added.-TradeArabia News Service