I'm delighted we're sending these over to Ukraine (though it should have been done a long time ago).

Question: the F-16s are planes. Is there some reason we're loading them onto other planes for transport instead of flying them over?

Ease of transfer (one pilot vs multiple for a looooong flight, probably no refuel on the Antonow, and if so it eats less specialised stuff than the F-16s) and maybe even fuel efficiency, I would guess.

Also, one cargo plane raises less eye brows than a flock of fighters.