A Russian government aircraft is currently operating an interesting mission to the United States. While seeing this plane at an airport could understandably be confusing given the sanctions in place, there’s a logical explanation…
Russian jet flies from Moscow to New York & Washington
Yesterday (Wednesday, June 26, 2024), a Russian-built Ilyushin Il-96-300, belonging to the Russian government’s fleet, flew from Moscow (VKO) to New York (JFK). The plane, which has the registration code RA-96019, is roughly 15 years old, and operated with the flight number RSD738.
The journey took 11hr58min, which is significantly longer than it would have been if the plane could have just flown directly. However, that’s not possible, due to airspace restrictions against Russian registered aircraft. The aircraft first flew almost directly north, before turning west over Finland and Sweden (in order to avoid the European Union), and then flying southwest, avoiding Canada.
The plane landed in New York at 2:05PM. Then at 4:55PM, the aircraft continued its journey to Washington (IAD). That flight took a total of 50 minutes, and the aircraft touched down there at 5:45PM.
I imagine the aircraft will be returning to Russia this evening, though I guess we’ll find our soon enough for sure.
What is the purpose of this flight?
Of course under normal circumstances, a Russian jet would be banned from flying a route from Moscow to New York to Washington, so what is the purpose of this itinerary, and why is an exception being granted?
While it hasn’t been officially confirmed, it’s almost certain that this plane is transporting Russian diplomats. It’s interesting to note that a year ago to the day — on June 27, 2023 — the same kind of plane performed a flight from Moscow to the United States, also with stops in New York and Washington.
So I imagine the timing isn’t a coincidence, and that some Russian diplomats are being “cycled,” with some arriving in the United States, and others leaving. Presumably there’s a limit to how long they can stay in the United States, and that limit is being reached.
Even beyond these more routine flights, there have been some other “exciting” flights to the United States by Russian military jets since the country’s invasion of Ukraine. In March 2022, a Russian government jet flew from St. Petersburg to Washington. That flight had a more exciting backstory, as its purpose was to pick up 12 expelled Russian intelligence operatives from the Russian Mission, who were accused of espionage.
As an avgeek, I can’t help but wonder what the interior of this jet is like, what kind of service there is onboard, how many crew members there are, etc. If anyone has any insights, I’d love to hear ’em! Below is a video I found about Putin’s plane, which is the same type of aircraft.
Bottom line
An Ilyushin Il-96-300 belonging to the Russian government is currently operating a mission to the United States. Yesterday, it flew from Moscow to New York to Washington. I assume it will return to Russia soon, probably even tonight. As you’d expect, the flight to the United States had a roundabout routing, as the flight avoided the airspace of the European Union and Canada.
While there hasn’t been any official announcement, it seems pretty clear that this aircraft is coming to pick up Russian diplomats who have to leave the country, and maybe even dropping some off. Russia last operated one of these flights a year ago to the day, stopping at the same airports.
What do you make of this unique Moscow to New York to Washington flight?
(Featured image courtesy of Dmitry Terekhov)
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