Ilyushin IL96

The Ilyushin Il-96 is a Soviet-designed, Russian-built wide-body long-range airliner developed in the late 1980s as a successor to the Il-86. It was the first Soviet commercial aircraft to feature a glass cockpit, fly-by-wire flight controls, and winglets, incorporating significant advances over its predecessor. The aircraft entered service with Aeroflot in 1993 and has seen limited commercial adoption, with production numbers remaining very low. Several variants have been developed, including the shortened Il-96-300, the stretched Il-96-400, and a freighter version. The type has been far more successful as a government and VIP transport. The Il-96 is notably operated by Cuba's Cubana de Aviación and has served as the official presidential aircraft of Russia. Despite being largely supplanted commercially by Western airliners, the Russian government has periodically announced plans to revive or modernize the design, particularly in response to Western sanctions.