The revived cargo Il-96 made the first commercial flight from Turkmenbashi to Moscow
18.12.2023 | 20:12 |The cargo airline Sky Gates Airlines (a subsidiary of Red Wings) put into operation the long-haul Il-96-400T aircraft, which has undergone the procedure for restoring airworthiness, Interfax.Ru reported
According to the Red Wings press service, the plane made its first commercial flight on the Turkmenbashi-Moscow route, landing at Zhukovsky airport with consumer goods on board.
“We see good prospects for the development of the freight transportation market on domestic routes and in export-import operations with friendly countries,” Red Wings CEO Evgeny Solodilin said, quoted by the press service.
The Red Wings took ownership of Sky Gates in August of this year. Before the introduction of sanctions, Sky Gates had two Boeing 747s in its fleet; now the company will rely on Russian aircraft, including the restored Il-96 and Tu-204/214.
The flagship of the Russian transport aviation, the Il-96-400T, has been returned to service - a cargo version of the aircraft from the family of Russian wide-body aircraft Il-96. The maximum payload weight is 92 tons. The flight range at maximum load is 5,000 km; when loaded with 40 tons, the aircraft can fly 12,000 km.
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