Cubana Ferries an Ilyushin Il-96 to Havana, Prepares to Put It Back into Service

With just 33 airframes built and most of them not being used by regular airlines, the Ilyushin Il-96 has always been a rare aircraft. It became even rarer in 2014 when Aeroflot phased out its Il-96 fleet. Then, at some point, Cubana stopped using the type, bringing the number of Il-96s active on commercial flights down to zero.

Fortunately, though, Cubana has now reactivated one of its Il-96s. Continue reading to learn more about the aircraft.

Cubana Ferries an Ilyushin Il-96 from Moscow to Havana

In total, Cubana operated four Il-96s in the past.

Three of those (CU-T1250, CU-T1251, and CU-T1254) were delivered to the airline directly from Ilyushin in 2005 and 2006. One, CU-T1717, was originally delivered to Aeroflot in 1993 before being acquired by Cubana in 2014. That aircraft operated in a beautiful hybrid livery consisting of Cubana’s regular livery (with slightly smaller titles) on top of Aeroflot’s base silver.

Except for CU-T1250 which was reactivated, all of the Cubana Ilyushin Il-96s have been sitting on the ground in Havana for quite some time now.

As for CU-T1250, that airframe was flown to Moscow Zhukovsky Airport, where it underwent maintenance, at some point in 2022. The aircraft was then ferried from Zhukovsky to Havana on December 3, 2023, making a technical stop in Gander, Canada.

Judging by the fact that Cubana posted on its Facebook page about the ferry flight several times, the airline appears to be excited to have the aircraft back in its fleet. It even welcomed the aircraft with a water salute upon its arrival in Havana.

The Most Likely Cubana Ilyushin Il-96 Destinations

In the past, Cubana used its Ilyushin Il-96s primarily on flights to Madrid, Paris, and Buenos Aires. With the airline no longer operating flights to Paris, the other two routes are the most likely candidates as future Il-96 destinations.

Cubana’s routes to Madrid and Buenos Aires are the airline’s longest. Not only that but the airline has no other aircraft capable of operating these 4,000+ miles long flights. Because of that, for quite some time now, the flights have been operated by other operators on Cubana’s behalf. Currently, they are operated by Plus Ultra’s sole Airbus A340-300.

It is not clear when the Il-96 will be deployed back on scheduled flights. Given that the airline didn’t fly the type for quite some time, there might be some training flights first.

Cubana’s Ilyushin Il-96 Seats 262 Passengers

Assuming nothing has changed about CU-T1250’s seating configuration while the plane was undergoing maintenance, it has a capacity of 262 passengers in two classes.

At the front of the Cubana Il-96 are 18 recliner business class seats in three 2-2-2 rows. The rest of the aircraft is filled with 244 economy class seats in a 3-3-3 layout. The interesting thing about the Il-96 is that, unlike most other widebodies, it lacks overhead bins above middle-section seats.

For comparison, Plus Ultra’s A340-300 is in the same configuration that was used by the aircraft’s previous owner, Air France. It is equipped with a total of 275 seats in three classes. Those include 30 angle-flat business class seats in a 2-2-2 layout, 21 premium economy class seats in a 2-3-2 layout, and 224 economy class seats in a 2-4-2 layout.

If the A340 is indeed replaced by the Il-96, it will result in a downgraded passenger experience, especially in business class.

Summary

For as long as I remember, flying on a Cubana’s Il-96 was one of my aviation bucket list items. At some point, however, it became no longer possible as the aircraft stopped flying and were instead replaced by other operators’ Western types operating on behalf of the Cuban flag carrier.

With CU-T1250 having been ferried from Russia back to Cuba, it seems like ticking the Il-96 off the bucket list might become possible again. It is not clear when or on what routes the aircraft will reenter into service. Chances are, though, that it will be on one or both of the airline’s longest routes – those to Buenos Aires and Madrid.