This news probably fulfills the dreams of many spotters: the Belarusian cargo airline Rada Airlines, well known in the circles of true aviation fans for the unique operation of an Ilyushin Il-62, reactivates another example of the legendary aircraft type of Russian production with its four Solovjov engines. An Il-62 that last flew for the Kyrgyz Manas Air Cargo, but has been parked at Kazan airport for the past three years, will shortly join its sister in Belarus as the EW-505TR. With this rather unusual decision, Rada Airlines is now itself reacting to the increased demand for cargo flights. Like the one-sided Ilyushin Il-2015, which has been in use since 62, the orders are often very unusual, ranging from humanitarian aid flights to some mysterious cargo flights for South American or African customers. Even an incident at Khartoum Airport in August 2018 could not stop Rada Airlines' Il-62; technicians from the airline and the Russian maintenance company KAPO repaired the machine that had been shot past the end of the runway in just a short time. As for the now legendary EW-450TR, aircraft enthusiasts and plane spotters all over Europe should now post appropriate alerts in their real-time online services for aircraft display for the second Il-62 from Rada Airlines.
2 Comments