PHOTOS: Rare Ilyushin plane lands at Zagreb airport

by croatiaweek
May 1, 2020
in News

Ilyushin IL-62MGr lands in Zagreb (Photo credit: Josip Škof/Zagreb Airport)

ZAGREB, 1 May 2020 – Zagreb’s Franjo Tuđman airport welcomed an unusual visitor this week when an Ilyushin IL-62MGr landed.

Once the pride of the Soviet aviation industry, the Ilyushin IL-62 was the first long-range narrow-body jetliner to be operated by the Soviet Union and a number of allied nations.

As a successor to the popular turboprop Il-18 and with capacity for almost 200 passengers and crew, the Il-62 was the world’s largest jet airliner when first flown in 1963.

Today, however, the IL-62 has almost disappeared from the sky.

(Photo credit: Josip Škof/Zagreb Airport)

The IL-62M was an improved version, powered by four turbofan engines, accommodation for a crew of five, and 174 passengers, equipped with containerised baggage and freight system, modified wing spoilers and a revised flight deck, plus increased fuel capacity.

(Photo credit: Josip Škof/Zagreb Airport)

The Ilyushin IL-62MGr which landed on Wednesday is a converted cargo version of the Il-62M which can transport around 40 tonnes of cargo. It was being operated by Belarus’ Rada Airlines and was reportedly dropping off medical supplies.

More photos below.