(Karachi) Karachi welcomed the world's largest cargo aircraft Antonov 'AN-225 Mriya' (aircraft registration UR-82060) earlier today.

The aircraft, which is powered by six turbofan engines and is the heaviest aircraft ever built, arrived at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport from Kabul around 11:30am.

It is in Karachi for the crew to take rest, conduct a technical stop and refueling. This aircraft is part of the NATO forces' withdrawal process as troops leave Afghanistan.

The aircraft is carrying three Royal Airforce (RAF) helicopters from Afghanistan to the UK. It will depart from Karachi Thursday morning to RAF Brize Norton airport, which is a royal airforce base in the UK.

Cargo activity between Afghanistan’s Bagram Airbase/Kabul Airport and Pakistan, especially Karachi and Islamabad, has seen a steep rise in recent times as US announced that it is withdrawing its troops after decades of fighting.

The US formally began withdrawing its last troops from Afghanistan in May, bringing its longest war nearer to an end but also heralding an uncertain future for the country.