First modernised Il-76 is equipped with new engines

Moscow, March 18, 2005. – The first new-build IL-76 cargo aircraft, designed to meet International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) noise and emissions requirements, will begin flight testing in June 2005 before entering services with Volga-Dnepr Group in September.

The IL-76TD-90VD aircraft, being built at Tashkent’s TAPO aviation plant, has now been fitted with PS-90A-76 engines produced by the Perm engine manufacturer at a cost of US$4.3 million each.

The aircraft is being manufactured under the National ‘Modernisation of the IL-76’ project being realised by Volga-Dnepr Group, Ilyushin Aviation Corporation, the Perm engine production plant and the TAPO aviation plant. The project is aimed at making the aircraft meet all of the ICAO regulatory noise and emissions requirements to preserve the niche market for the unique IL-76 cargo aircraft. The project has been approved by both the Russian Ministry of Industry and Energy and the Russian Ministry of Transport.

In May, after completing assembly of the power supply, hydraulic and engine control systems, the aircraft will be delivered to TAPO’s flying research facilities and, in June, the aircraft will perform its first test flight.

The modernised freighter is on schedule to begin commercial operations with Volga-Dnepr Group in September.

Alexey Isaikin, President of Volga-Dnepr Group, said: “The market ‘comeback’ of the upgraded IL-76 will make it possible to reinforce the position of Russian cargo aviation in the international market and protect the long-term future of the aircraft for customers all over the world, including meeting the high level of demand for humanitarian aid.”

Assembly of the first IL-76TD-90VD aircraft is being financed by Volga-Dnepr through its own resources and investment from Russian and international financial institutions.

“In the niche market for aircraft capable of carrying payloads of between 30-50 tonnes, the upgraded IL-76 will be the world’s only civil aircraft capable of delivering outsized cargo to almost any of the world’s airports and we expect this situation to last until 2020. Volga-Dnepr’s efforts will prolong the life-cycle of the modernised IL-76 by some 20-30 years,” says Andrey Pakhomov, financial director of the project.

Notes – IL-76:

The IL-76 is highly respected as one of the most capable aircraft to ever be operated by both Russian and foreign cargo carriers.

Its success is based on the unique services provided by IL-76 operators as well as its economic efficiency. Not requiring any additional airport loading equipment, the self-sufficient IL-76 is able to operate to and from airports with poor infrastructure in markets such as the CIS, Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The IL-76 offers unique aircraft performance characteristics and occupies the niche of large aircraft capable of carrying payloads of up to 50 tonnes of cargo, including outsize loads. The aircraft has no serious competitors and accounts for more than 60% per cent of all Russia’s airfreight revenues.

In these circumstances, Volga-Dnepr Group, Russia’s leading air cargo carrier, is taking decisive steps to modernise the IL-76TD freighter by re-engining the jet with PS-90A-76 engines and equipping it with upgraded avionics.

As a result of the project, the IL-76TD-90VD, a new upgraded version of the ageing IL-76, will meet all the ICAO regulatory requirements.

As a part of Volga-Dnepr Group’s long-term development strategy, in February 2004 Volga-Dnepr-Leasing was established. The main task of the new company is the consolidation of management and financial resources aimed at successfully implementing the IL-76 modernisation programme and managing this large-scale project.