The Russian airline stopped flying its jumbo jets in recent months. After a few missions last summer, Rossiya is now unexpectedly taking off again with a Boeing 747.

It happens again and again: the resignation of the resignation. Also in aviation. During the pandemic, Lufthansa first declared the definitive end for its Airbus A380s and then they came back. Hesitant at first, but it has been clear since last week that the airline with four-engine numbers seven and eight will be using all of its available copies again.

Rossiya is also performing a backwards roll. At the beginning of February 2022, around two weeks before the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the Aeroflot subsidiary announced that it would decommission all nine Boeing 747s by the end of 2024 as part of the fleet modernization. At that point, five jumbo jets had already been sorted out.

Boeing 747 maintenance in Iran?

Western sanctions changed the schedule. The Boeing 747-400 belonged to Western leasing companies and were re-registered to the Russian aviation register after the outbreak of war. However, due to the sanctions, Rossiya Airlines was no longer able to procure spare parts. The end seemed to come faster than planned.

But the Boeing 747 got a grace period. Four of the nine jumbo jets flew between Moscow and Sochi from June to September 2022. After that they remained on the ground again unused, but should have flown again this summer. Rossiya has already negotiated with Mahan Air about the maintenance of jumbo jets in Iran. But the planes stayed on the ground.

Flights to Sakhalin

Until now. The almost 23-year-old Boeing 747 with the registration number RA-73286 has been active again for a few days. She has been flying again since August 30th. The first flights were from Moscow to Russia’s largest island, Sakhalin, and back, as reported by the Sakhalinmedia portal. These are special flights to fly vacationers home via Moscow.

In addition to the jumbo jet with the registration RA-73286, the one with the registration RA-73289 was also active again on September 1st. It took off from Moscow-Sheremetyevo, stayed in the air for almost five hours and landed again at the airport north of the Russian capital. It seems that Rossiya also wants to reactivate this Boeing 747-400 with space for around 522 passengers.

Lufthansa almost alone in Europe

With the return of the 747 at Rossiya, Lufthansa is no longer the last airline in Europe to use the former queen of the skies in passenger operations. Only it seems in Russia for the time being only about special operations.