Il-86 of Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise at St. Petersburg Airport

The Ilyushin Il-86 is a Russian wide-body commercial passenger jet aircraft.

The aircraft was developed by the Soviet Union; announced in 1971, it first flew on December 22, 1976, and entered commercial sevice in 1980. It was the first wide-body type built in the Soviet Union, and around 120 were built. Initially it was only flown by Aeroflot and, slightly later, China Xinjiang Airlines.

It has good capacity, cargo space and robustness, but since the Soviets at the time lacked any high-bypass turbofan engine, the aircraft had to use four low-bypass turbofans similar to those of the Ilyushin Il-62 (though of somewhat higher power), which have a high fuel consumption. These inferior engines severely limited range compared to Western wide-body jets such as the DC-10 or A300.

It has special built-in airstairs for airports without boarding equipment.

Other airframes of the type have been modified for use in military roles such as airborne early warning and communications support.

General characteristics

• Length: 59.54 m
• Wing span: 48.06 m
• Height: 15.81 m
• Engines: Four Kuznetsov-NK-86 turbofans, 13,000 kg ST each
• Crew: 3
• Number of seats: 234-350 in one class
• Max. take-off weight: 206,000 kg (42,000 kg load)
• Max. landing weight: 175,000 kg
• Cruising speed: 900 km/h
• Max. altitude: 11,000 m
• Operating altitude: 10,500 m
• Range: 5,000 km (3,500 km with full load)