It’s hard to underestimate how much world affairs are often been driven by antagonism between two major rivals.  

You name it! If the Cold War was about NATO vs the Warsaw Pact, the Age of Empires was shaped by the rivalry between France and Britain and the Ancient World had Rome battling (and ultimately defeating) Carthage.  

The modern aviation industry also has its competing duopoly between Boeing and Airbus and by extension, its two aeronautical capitals: Seattle and Toulouse. 

This is why this flight on February 2, 2023, detected on flight tracking apps, managed to draw the attention of the aircraft spotting community. 

If a nonstop flight between Boeing Field (BFI), home of the American manufacturer, and Toulouse-Blagnac (TLS), where its European counterpart has its main base, was not a remarkable enough sight, it turns out it has been operated by no less than an Antonov An-124, an aircraft that is also a head-turner wherever it lands. 

We are, of course, not privy to the purpose or content of this flight (which is likely to be a re-positioning of some sort for the An-124, unless the two aerospace companies or their suppliers have started exchanging large volume cargoes) we could not pass the opportunity to share this find with our audience.