Ilyushin Il-86
The Ilyushin Il-86 was the Soviet Union's first wide-body airliner, and had a genuinely unusual boarding system: built-in airstairs let passengers walk directly up into the cabin from the tarmac, carrying their own luggage to storage lockers near their seats, without needing a jet bridge or ground stairs. That design suited Soviet airports that often lacked modern jet-bridge infrastructure. Its four engines, rather than the two or three typical of similarly sized Western widebodies, reflected more conservative Soviet engine reliability standards at the time. It served as Aeroflot's flagship widebody for domestic and international routes for many years.

Did you know?
The Il-86 was the Soviet Union's first widebody, with built-in airstairs letting passengers board directly from the tarmac without a jet bridge.
Specifications
| Length | 59.5 m (195 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 48.1 m (158 ft) |
| Height | 15.8 m (52 ft) |
| Maximum passengers | 350 |
| Persons on board | 234-353 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 208 t |
| Range | 2,480 NM (4,593 km) |
| Stall speed | 178 kt (330 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 37,000 ft (11,278 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 35,000 ft (10,668 m) |
| Rate of climb | 3,000 ft/min (15.2 m/s) |
| Take-off distance | 2,700 m (8,858 ft) |
| Landing distance | 1,200 m (3,937 ft) |
| Fuel capacity | 114,000 l |
| Engines | Kuznetsov NK-86 |
| Units built | 100 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
In CatchFlights the Ilyushin Il-86 starts as a Legendary catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you. The first catch of a legendary type pays a bonus of its own.
A catch counts for the manufacturer Ilyushin, the Il-86 family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.
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