Russians stick to four as the magic number

摘要

Call it an air transport anachronism but just as four-engined airliners are slipping, perhaps prematurely, into the realms of nostalgia, Russian airframer VASO is assembling a new widebody quadjet, the Ilyushin Il-96-400M, at its facility in Voronezh. Featuring a 9.35m (30ft 8in) fuselage stretch from its predecessor, the 11-96-300, the -400M will be capable of accommodating 350 passengers in a two-class interior, and 402 in an all-economy layout. The aircraft will have modernised avionics, precision navigation systems, and higher-thrust Aviadvigatel PS-90A1 engines. The -400M is set to conduct its maiden flight in 2021 - nearly five decades after that of the 11-86, from which the -400M is ultimately derived.