VASO to build a passenger Il-96-400M prototype by 2019

The stretched, upgraded and more powerful version of the original four-engine long-haul Il-96 airliner currently exists as a cargo version only (Photo by Leonid Faerberg / transport-photo.com)

The first prototype of Ilyushin Il-96-400M, the passenger version of the stretched, re-engined and thoroughly upgraded Il-96, will be built in 2019.

The first prototype of Ilyushin Il-96-400M, the passenger version of the stretched, re-engined and thoroughly upgraded Il-96, will be built in 2019. This comes from what Dmitry Prishvin, general director of the airframer, Voronezh Aircraft Production Association (known by its Russian acronym VASO) told Vesti-Voronezh television channel.

The -400 aircraft modification currently exists only in its cargo version, the Il-96-400T. It is 10 m longer than the original Il-96-300 design and is fitted with upgraded onboard equipment. Its payload exceeds the original version by 18 tons. The passenger version of the long-haul aircraft may have the seating capacity of up to 400 passengers. The new PD-14M engines, designed for Russia’s next generation narrow-body MC-21, are currently in the certification testing program, and may be installed on the Il-96-400M as a replacement for the PS-90A-1 engines, which power the cargo Il-96-400T.

According to Vedomosti Daily, the Russian Ministry for Industry and Trade was considering allocating up to 50 billion rubles ($770 million) for the development of the wide-body long-haul aircraft program for the period until 2021.

According to Prishvin, the State Transport Leasing Corporation (GTLK) agreed to purchase five of the new wide-bodies sometime between 2020 and 2023. These aircraft are expected to enter service with operators flying between Moscow and Vladivostok and Khabarovsk, in Russia’s Far East.

VASO (part of United Aircraft Corporation) is in charge of the program. It has so far built four cargo Il-96-400Ts for the now-defunct Voronezh cargo operator Polet. After the airline’s bankruptcy, all four aircraft were converted to different modifications, from refueling aircraft to VVIP in the interests of the Defense Ministry and other state customers.