Cubana de Aviación Reactivates Il-96-300 After Long Overhaul in Belarus

Cubana de Aviación, Cuba’s state-owned flag carrier, has restored one of its rare widebody jets to service. The Ilyushin Il-96-300 registered CU-T1250 completed a multi-leg ferry flight from Minsk, Belarus, to Havana, Cuba, between October 11 and 12, according to flight tracking data from FlightRadar24.

The aircraft departed Minsk (MSQ) on October 11, stopping in St. Petersburg (LED) and Reykjavik (KEF) before making the nearly nine-hour transatlantic crossing to Havana. Flight CU1250 touched down at José Martí International Airport at 18:48 local time on October 12.

The widebody, serial number 74393202015, first delivered to Cubana in December 2005, is now 20 years old. It had been stored at Havana and later in Belarus for extended periods between 2022 and 2025, suggesting major maintenance or overhaul work took place abroad.

Cubana’s Il-96-300 can carry 262 passengers in two classes (18 in business class and 244 in economy). The aircraft is equipped with four outdated PS-90 turbofans that consume a lot of fuel and compromise its range, which is only 5,400 nautical miles.

Cubana’s fleet remains a rare sight in global aviation. The airline operates another Il-96-300, along with six Antonov An-158s, three Tupolev Tu-204s, and a handful of aging ATR turboprops. Years of sanctions and economic hardship have left the carrier with one of the world’s most outdated active fleets.

The return of CU-T1250 is a small but significant boost for Cubana, which has struggled to maintain regular long-haul operations. The Il-96—once intended as a symbol of Cuba’s aviation independence—now stands as a reminder of how geopolitics, scarcity, and perseverance continue to shape the island’s skies.

About the Author

Ricardo Meier

Creator of the website that started in 1996 as a magazine. He also writes on Brazilian websites AUTOO, MOTOO and MetrôCPTM.

Articles by the author »