RA-96018: The Ilyushin Il-96 flew from Moscow to Washington on a special mission

The Russian Special Aviation Squadron is no ordinary airline. As part of Aeroflot’s subsidiary Rossiya, it has only one purpose. The President of the Russian Federation, Prime Minister, Speakers of the Federation Council and the State Duma, as well as key members of the administration, courts and public delegations fly.

On Tuesday (June 27), the private airline again received such a request. In the morning, shortly after 9 am local time, an Ilyushin Il-96-300 took off from Moscow’s Vnukovo airport. He flew first north, past the border with Finland to the Norwegian Sea and then south, past Iceland.

The United States expects nothing in return for accommodation

Flight RSD898’s destination was unusual, at least for the time being. drove to the United States. Just after 2 p.m. local time, the Russian state-owned Ilyushin Il-96, registration number RA-96018, landed at Washington Dulles Airport. It took me just over eleven hours to cover the distance.

In Washington, the Il-96 has a very specific mission. A US State Department spokesman confirmed to The Independent that it would return the Russian diplomats to Moscow. Russia was allowed to fly. In return, Russia is expected to continue to open the transportation of diplomatic personnel and goods to the embassy in Moscow.