Il-96-400M Certification Lags Behind at 28%
The Il-96-400M long-haul airliner has been making progress on its certification, but at a slow pace. According to analysts from the 'Letayem vmeste' project, the aircraft is currently only 28% ready for certification.
In July, the plane flew for an impressive 34 hours, visiting destinations like Irkutsk, Kamchatka, and Yakutia. However, since July 14, there have been no further flights of the Il-96-400M.
Instead, the experimental Il-96-300 with tail number №96007 has taken to the skies, but its performance is not being tracked statistically.
Aviation expert Oleg Panteleev believes that the Il-96-400M, equipped with four PS-90A engines, may not be of interest to airlines that have opted for similar wide-body aircraft from Boeing and Airbus. This situation effectively renders the airliner 'unnecessary' in the domestic transportation market.