The Russian airline Alrosa is ending the operation of the Ilyushin Il-76TD aircraft. A spokesman for the parent company said in a TV interview with Yakutia24 that customers are asking for samples that are cheaper to run.

The company also points out that the Il-76TD has comparatively high maintenance costs and can therefore no longer be operated competitively. Most recently, only the RA-76360 was in use. According to CH-Aviation.com, the aircraft is now being prepared for handover to an unspecified new operator. In any case, this machine has not been actively used since 2019.

The RA-76373 and RA-76420 were also part of the Alrosa portfolio. Both freighters have been in long-time storage since 2018 and are no longer registered with Alrosa Airlines. These two machines are also being prepared for handover to a new operator. The three Il-76TD are leased.

Alrosa attracted worldwide attention in October 2020, because the carrier was the last airline to cease operating the Tupolev Tu-154M three-jet engines. More on this in this article.