Resuming operations with a Russian Ilyushin IL-96 is ex-B747 and 777 operator AirBridgeCargo.
The Ilyushin IL-96, a Russian-built aircraft, will resume flights for Russia-based AirBridge Cargo, whose activities were banned in March 2022 as a result of sanctions.
The airline will resume shipping cargo using the Ilyushin IL-96, according to local media sources. On the social media platform Telegram, a photo of one of the aircraft with the registration RA-96103 was posted.
With or without a stabilizer: with or without a stabilizer, its a show.
Prior to being compelled to halt operations because of sanctions on Russia and the carrier’s now-former Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Alexey Isaikin, as a result of the illegal invasion of Ukraine, AirBridgeCargo had operated 15 Boeing 747 and a single Boeing 777 aircraft.
In August 2022, Isaikin resigned from Volga-Dnepr Group, the parent organization of AirBridgeCargo. Two subsidiaries of the Volga-Dnepr Group are headquartered in Europe: CargoLogic Deutschland and Cargologicair in the United Kingdom.
Data from planespotters.net indicates that both airlines parked their fleets in March 2022, with a former Cargologicair Boeing 747-400F being re-delivered to National Airlines in the United States, where it is presently registered as N537CA.
The aircraft’s certificate was issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on October 4, 2022, and according to data from planespotters.net, it has been in storage at Orlando International Airport (MCO), in Florida, US, since November 5, 2022. The 747-400F is now under maintenance at MCO, according to data from Ch-aviation.com.
Prior to this, US-based UPS Airlines stated in its filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that it will expand its fleet in 2024 by acquiring two used Boeing 747-8Fs. According to statistics from ch-aviation.com, 12 of the total 15 Boeing 747-8F aircraft that are currently in storage belong to AirBridgeCargo, whose 747-8Fs are currently parked at Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO).
