CAVOK Antonov AN-12BK UR-CKL Transatlantic Routing Ends with Sunset Arrival at Curaçao
Curaçao got a nice surprise on August 31st 2026 with the late arrival of CAVOK Antonov AN-12BK UR-CKL.
Curaçao was the day’s final stop for UR-CKL having departed St-John’s (YYT/CYYT) earlier that day, with a stop at Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport (BDA/TXKF). UR-CKL had also been noted in Keflavik, Iceland (KEF/BIKF), Bødø, Norway (BOO/ENBO), Bremen, Germany (BRE/EDDW) and Tunis, Tunisia (TUN/DTTA) in the days prior to its arrival here, giving a bit of insight into the life of a busy aircraft.
I had previously photographed UR-CKL on the St-John’s ramp in 2022.
Formed in 2011, CAVOK operates a fleet of seven AN-12BKs. It received its Air Operator’s certificate in 2012 and permission to carry military equipment from the Ukrainian government in December 2016. According to the airline, the name CAVOK is taken from the weather term meaning “Ceiling And Visibility OK” and “chosen not as a promise that every mission would be straightforward, but as a statement of how the airline intended to show up for every one.”
55 years old, UR-CKL was previously operated by the Soviet Air Force, Uzbekistan Airways, Imtrec Aviation, Sasco Airlines and Click Airways. The aircraft was delivered to CAVOK in October 2012.
