The Ilyushin Il-86 was the first Soviet wide-body aircraft. It entered service with Aeroflot in December 1980, and production ceased in 1994. High fuel burn has always been an issue with the Il-86, and following problems with noise compliance regulations in Western countries related to the aircraft's Kuznetsov NK-86 engines, engine manufacturer Aviadvigatel is offering operators a modification with upgraded, quieter D-30KP engines. An unusual feature of the Il-86 is the self-contained airstairs, with which passengers can board the plane from ground level, leave their luggage in a lower deck baggage stowage area, and climb a fixed staircase to enter the passenger cabin.

Pulkovo Airlines Il-86 RA-86073 at Maastricht-Aachen Airport

The characteristic nose of the Il-86. Notice the entrance to the lower deck storage area.

The Ilyushin Il-96-300 is a modernised, shorter-fuselage, larger wing span version of the Il-86 with an EFIS flight deck and a dramatically improved range. The aircraft was certificated in December 1992. Cubana is the only non-Russian/CIS airline operating this type. Despite the digital cockpit, the 96-300's flight crew still consists of two pilots and a flight engineer. Apart from its size, the main external distinction from the Il-86 are the large winglets.

The Il-96-400 (also known as Il-96M) is a stretched version, based on the Il-96T cargo aircraft. The Il-96-400T is a 8.5-metre stretch of the -300 (and 4.5m longer than the Il-86) powered by Pratt & Whitney engines. Atlant-Soyuz and Volga-Dnepr are the launch customers of this aircraft. This technlogically more advanced airliner has a flight deck crew of two.

• Technical specifications
• Production

Technical specifications

Dimensions:

• Il-86: Length 59.54m (195ft), wing span 48.06m (158ft), height 15.81m (52ft).
• Il-96-300: Length 55.35m (182ft), wing span 57.66m (189ft), height 15.72m (51ft).
• Il-96-400T: Length 63.94m (210ft), wing span 60.11m (197ft), height 15.12 m (50ft).

• Il-86: 350 pax in one-class and 234 pax in two-class layout.
• Il-96-300: 300 pax in one-class and 235 pax in three-class layout.
• Il-96M: 375 pax in one-class, 335 in two-class and 312 pax in three-class layout.

Powerplants:

• Il-86: 4x Kuznetsov NK86 @ 127kN (28,530lb)
• Il-96-300: 4x Aviadvigatel PS-90A @ 160kN (35,250lb)
• Il-96-400T: 4x Pratt & Whitney PW2337 @ 165kN (36,980lb)

Range:

• Il-86: 3600 to 4600 km (2000 to 2550 nm)
• Il-96: 7500 km (4170 nm) with max payload
• Il-96T: 5200 km (2890 nm) with 92t

Production

• Il-86: 105
• Il-96: 16 as of September 2006