This was the moment a plane spotter managed to film the world's largest aircraft taking to the skies from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire yesterday (August 30) at 4 pm.

All six of the plane's engines were running when the crew of the Antonov 225 got an all-clear from air traffic control at the RAF base.

The engines then initiated some pre-flight tests that left the onlooking plane spotters hiding behind a fence as the thrust shot debris from the runway towards them. The engines were then at full capacity and the crew were ready for taking off.

The journey ended later yesterday evening when the flight landed in Athens, Greece at around 4 pm local time.

Update 27.2.22 - According to a tweet from Ukraine's minister of foreign affairs, this aircraft has been destroyed at Hostomel Airport outside Kyiv due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The World's Largest Aircraft, the Antonov An-255 Mriya, seen here taking off from RAF Brize Norton, UK.

The crew startup all 6 engines and taxi to runway 25 at Royal Air Force Brize Norton (BZZ/EGVN). After receiving their ATC clearance they line up on the runway and perform engine runs for a few minutes, causing us spectators to duck for cover from the immense thrust and debris! Check out the whole aircraft wobbling, particularly the tailplane, as the engines are powered up! Full Air Traffic Control communications are included in the video.

The Antonov 225 (UR-82060) landed at around 20:30 local time on the 29th August 2018 from Kiev's Hostomel Airport (GML/UKKM). After a brief night stop, it then departed to Athens (ATH/LGAV) on the 30th August 2018 at around 16:00 local time.

"The AN-225 is the largest aircraft in the world and is the only aircraft that features six turbofan engines. It has the capability to transport up to 250 tonnes of cargo, including single pieces weighing up to 200 tonnes over short and medium-haul routes".