Warszawa 2008-12-07
History
Iliuszyn The Ił-18 is a transport, passenger plane used in Poland by LOT Polish Airlines and the Polish Army. Most of the aircraft were made with a cabin adapted to Class I, with 87 seats. During the renovation, they were completely converted into economy class with 99 seats. Repairs were carried out in plants in Moscow at Bykovo airport. During the repairs, the avionics equipment was modernized to meet new requirements. New antennas appeared on the hulls. Instrument panels in the cockpit were also changed. Recent modifications of the Polish Ił-18 have led to their unification to 105 passenger seats. The differences between the individual copies have completely disappeared. The Ił-18 aircraft in LOT had an average annual flight time of 1,600 – 1,800 hours. No catastrophe happened at the Polskie Ił-18. At the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, the Il-18 planes were withdrawn from LOT Polish Airlines. Several machines were taken over by Polonia Airways and these planes were still flying in 1997.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman