13.07.2025. Minsk. Photo: Gleb Salko
A rare wide-body aircraft has returned to service, completing a ferry flight from Minsk to Havana after a long downtime, reports the specialized outlet airdatanews.com.
Cuba’s state-owned airline Cubana de Aviación has brought back into operation one of its few wide-body aircraft. The Il-96-300, registered CU-T1250, completed a multi-leg ferry flight from Minsk (Belarus) to Havana (Cuba) on October 11–12, according to flight-tracking service FlightRadar24.
The aircraft departed from Minsk (MSQ) on October 11, making intermediate stops in St. Petersburg (LED) and Reykjavik (KEF) before undertaking a nearly nine-hour transatlantic flight to Havana. Flight CU1250 landed at José Martí International Airport at 6:48 p.m. local time on October 12.
This aircraft (serial number 74393202015) was first delivered to Cubana in December 2005 and has now reached 20 years of age. It had been stored in Havana and later in Belarus for extended periods between 2022 and 2025, indicating that it likely underwent major repairs or heavy maintenance abroad.
Cubana’s Il-96-300 is configured for 262 passengers in a two-class layout — 18 seats in business class and 244 in economy. The aircraft is powered by four PS-90 turbofan engines, which are considered outdated, have high fuel consumption, and limit its range to about 5,400 nautical miles.
Cubana’s fleet remains a rarity in modern civil aviation. In addition to another Il-96-300, the airline operates six An-158s, three Tu-204s, and several aging ATR turboprops. Years of sanctions and economic hardship have left Cubana with one of the oldest active fleets in the world.