Il-96: Russia's Unprofitable Passenger Aircraft Struggles for Survival

The Il-96 is Russia's largest passenger aircraft, first taking to the skies in 1988. Unlike twin-engine planes like the Boeing 777 and Airbus A330, the Il-96 features four PS-90A engines.

Despite being in production for nearly four decades, only a few dozen machines of various modifications have been produced. The total number of manufactured Il-96 aircraft stands at 36, including passenger Il-96-300s, cargo Il-96-400Ts, and the experimental new Il-96-400M family.

Production continues at the Voronezh aircraft plant, but at an extremely slow pace. The basic Il-96-300 is designed for a maximum of 300 passengers, with a length of 55.3 m and wingspan of 60.1 m. Its four PS-90A engines each develop approximately 16 tons of thrust.

However, the Il-96 is unprofitable for regular flights due to high fuel consumption, which stands at about 3.3-3.7 liters per 100 km per passenger. In comparison, the Boeing 777-300ER consumes around 2.5-2.7 liters of fuel per 100 km per passenger.