Antonov An-225 Mriya, the world's largest aircraft landed at the Mattala International Airport for refueling and rest for crew this morning.
It is powered by six turbofab engines and is the heaviest aircraft ever built with a maximum takeoff weight of 640 tonnes (710 short tons). It also has the largest wingspan of any aircraft in operational service.
Mattala was one dubbed by Forbes as one of the world's emptiest airports.
The aviation authorities said the airport still has only a few regular flights on a weekly basis.