Having spent one night in Caracas after a very long flight from Damascus, Syria aboard an Iran Air Boeing 747SP ( Iran Air B747SP Transatlantic DAM-CCS [+pics/vids] (by UK_Dispatcher Aug 24 2007 in Trip Reports) ), it was time to take the second of three rather special flights in order to fly aboard another classic jet – the Ilyushin IL-62M.

I had always wanted to take a flight aboard an IL-62 – an aircraft which is becoming extremely rare nowadays with only a handful of the IL-62M variant now flying regular passenger services in Russia, North Korea and Cuba. I decided that since I was going to end my B747SP trip in Caracas it would be an ideal opportunity to try and catch an IL-62 to Havana, Cuba as a check in Amadeus revealed that Cubana were using the type on this particular route.

My friend who had joined me on the Iran Air flight left the hotel mid-morning and headed to the airport to catch his American Airlines flight to MIA, but as my Cubana flight was not until late afternoon I was able to rest for a few more hours. After checking out of the hotel I took a cab to the airport which is located several miles away from the city on the coast. This involves an interesting drive down a mountain to sea level on a road which can be extremely busy, but I had allowed for this by leaving early. It took a while but eventually I arrived at the airport and headed into the appropriate terminal for my flight with Cubana. I had booked my CU flights through their GSA in the UK – Aviareps. Trying to make a Cubana reservation in Abu Dhabi had proven difficult as most travel agents with access to Amadeus will not make reservations on airlines for whom they are not the appointed GSA. This can be rather inconvenient.

I headed to the Cubana check-in and a security agent directed me to where the back of the queue appeared to be. I explained to him that I had a ticket to collect which he did not understand at first but after a while the penny dropped and he asked me to follow him. I was then taken through a door behind the check-in desk, down some stairs and into an area which is not generally accessible to the public. When we got to the Cubana office I explained to one of the male CU staff that I had a ticket to collect. He then told me there was no ticket for me. I then explained that I had made a reservation through their GSA in the UK and even showed him the e-mail I had received from Aviareps but both he and one of his colleagues more or less shrugged their shoulders of it and offered no solution. I then got my phone out to call Aviareps but realised it was now late night in the UK and that this would achieve nothing. I was extremely frustrated to say the least. However, a third staff member appeared after a couple of minutes who had actually had the initiative to check to see if there was a ticket waiting for me and handed me my ticket. The other two then proceeded to apologise. I was relieved to actually have my ticket but at the same time rather angry at the fact that the laziness of the other staff members could have meant me unnecessarily purchasing another ticket in order to travel.

I then lugged my bag back up the stairs and joined the queue for check-in. It was a while before the check-in actually opened but there were many passengers already waiting. I had decided to get to the airport early in order to select a good seat but I think even if I had been there five hours before departure I would still have had to wait in line. Check-in eventually opened but progress was excruciatingly slow. The check-in was being performed manually but was still much slower than I would expect. There were two to three check-in agents performing the check-in and a separate desk alongside the check-in where money was being taken for Cuban tourist visas where required. Despite how early I had arrived at the airport it was actually very late by the time I got to the front of the queue. I would have much preferred to be relaxing in the airside area than standing in a check-in queue for this whole time.

When I checked in I asked for a window seat near the back hoping that I would be somewhere between the wing and engines of the IL-62. It was at this time that I noticed the manual seating plan they were using for check-in was that of an IL-96! I was given window seat 11A – not at the back where I had requested but closer to the front. I was not really disappointed at the fact that the aircraft was not going to be the type that I had booked this flight specifically to fly, as I was booked on another Cubana flight the following day to Santo Domingo which was also scheduled to be operated by an IL-62. I was just hoping that there would not be an equipment swap on this flight too. After checking-in I went to the adjacent desk where I waited for a few minutes while other passengers seemed to jump in and out of the way constantly before eventually making the payment and obtaining my Cuba tourist card. It was then time to pay the airport departure tax in another area and by this time I was rather hot and bothered. I had few Venezuelan Bolivars left and asked whether or not I could pay in US Dollars. The lady said yes but when she realised that the smallest note I had was USD100 she changed her mind. I then went off to a Bureau de Change where it took another eternity just to change this into Bolivars as they could not change it into smaller denominations of USD. Finally I made it back to the desk, paid my airport tax and headed through security and immigration. The whole process from arriving at the airport to finally making it to the departures area was unbelievably slow – mainly due to the amount of time it took to complete the required formalities with Cubana. I had not eaten or drank anything at all since waking up and was now feeling pretty drained. I purchased a bite to eat and a drink and headed downstairs to the departure gate. There was no sign of a Cubana aircraft at the main international stands and there seemed to be a little confusion over which was the correct gate. The correct gate was actually a bussing gate which meant the aircraft must have been parked remotely. I took a seat at the back of the gate area and watched a couple of kids blasting a ball around as if they were in a field – slamming it off walls in no particular direction and within inches of passengers as their relatives did absolutely nothing. It reminded me of parental skills (or rather lack thereof) in the Gulf.

By the time boarding was finally called it was apparent that the flight would not be departing on schedule, but I was not overly bothered as despite the tiredness I was still quite excited at the fact that I was to be flying aboard a new and somewhat rare aircraft type. In the back of my mind I was still prepared for the fact that the aircraft could be an IL-62 and that maybe the check-in staff were using a doctored IL-96 seatmap but a few minutes later as we were driven onto a remote part of the apron I was greeted with the sight of a Cubana IL-96-300, registration CU-T1254.

CU-T1254





It was a nice feeling boarding an IL-96 – particularly as I had previously looked at the option of travelling HAV-MAD to catch a ride on this aircraft type. I was glad I did not go with this option as I would have ended up flying on two IL-96s and no IL-62s, defeating the real object of this part of the trip.






As I entered the cabin I was impressed by how fresh and clean it appeared to be. The lack of overhead bins in the centre created an extra feel of spaciousness – this is a particular feature of the IL-96 and indeed its predecessor, the IL-86.




I took my seat in 11A and there was a gentleman in 11C but the B seat remained unoccupied. A few minutes after taking my seat I heard the roar of an aircraft taking off and saw that it was a Lineas Aereas Suramericanas B727-100 getting airborne and leaving a nice trail of smoke in its wake.




There were a number of interesting aircraft visible in the maintenance area from Conviasa, Laser and Aeropostal. A DHL B727-200 could also be seen in the distance.




The seat pitch was reasonable as I remember, and interestingly the air conditioning fan was located within the seat in front rather than in the overhead panel.






It was about thirty-five minutes after I had boarded by the time the aircraft was pushed back. As the pushback started, one of the female cabin crew made a welcome announcement in Spanish followed by English.




The aircraft was pushed back to face east, although it would then join a parallel taxiway and taxi to the west past a variety of aircraft after crossing runway 26/08.









TF-FIB



Probably the most interesting visitor among the other aircraft was Iran Air B747SP EP-IAB. This aircraft had arrived from THR/DAM the previous day and would be returning later in the evening. I had actually arrived into CCS on this aircraft but it still seemed quite strange seeing it so far away from home.

EP-IAB






D-AIGH


N461TA





After quite a long taxi the aircraft lined up on runway 09 and was soon airborne for Havana.

Take-off from CCS





















The climb out of Caracas was quite slow – something I had expected from this aircraft type. After taking off the aircraft banked to the left and the coastline could be seen in the distance.









Headsets had been distributed to all passengers although there was no movie as such – just a promotional video with music for Cuban tourism which was on a continuous loop. However, there were several audio channels to choose from – all of which were Hispanic but since I was flying Cubana I listened to some Cuban music to add to the authenticity of the experience.

Around forty minutes after take-off the cabin crew began the dinner service. I can not remember whether or not there was a choice, but I had sweet and sour chicken with rice and beans. This was served along with a potato salad which was very nice, plus bread and cake.




The flight was smooth and pretty uneventful. The IL-96 was a comfortable aircraft to fly and certainly no worse than any western-built aircraft. The 3-3-3 seating and overall feeling of space gave it more of a feel of a B777 than an A330/A340.






I spent some time checking out the Cubana in-flight magazine, into which I strategically placed a safety card. Naturally, I would take said magazine with me after the flight. The magazine had a fleet information page and it certainly made for more interesting reading than the same on other airlines, showing illustrations and details for the IL-96, IL-62, A320, YAK-42 and An-24.

I then relaxed for some time and approximately two-and-a-half hours after take-off we began our descent towards Havana.






It was not long before sunset and the orange glow on the sea below was attractive as we passed over the Cuban coastline.








One thing I noticed about this part of Cuba is how flat it was, with very little apart from farms below.










We were soon lining up on finals – just minutes before sunset which made for a very pleasant view to the left.






As we were on finals I noticed part of a road below which looked like it may once have been a runway. Any information about this would be appreciated.




When we touched down in Havana there was much excitement from the rest of the passengers. The whole plane erupted in applause and as we taxied in there included a lot of singing. The only part I understood was when people shouted ‘Viva Fidel, Viva Fidel!’. Normally I find clapping on landing tacky and patronising to the crew but on this occasion it was clearly a sign of genuine elation for these people to be landing in Cuba.





Landing in HAV





As we left the runway I could see a Cubana IL-62 at the international terminal. It was a great feeling knowing that this should be the next aircraft type for me to fly aboard.




As we taxied another aircraft landed behind us in the form of an Air Europa A330-202. This was actually the first time I had seen an Air Europa widebody in person. This airline has certainly come along way since it was the small Spanish offshoot of UK-based Air Europe who sadly ceased operations in 1991.




We arrived on a remote stand alongside another company IL-96, CU-T1250.




Steps were positioned front and back and coaches were waiting on the ramp. I took my time boarding the coach after disembarking as I thought it was an ideal opportunity to take a few final photos of the aircraft.










Among the various aircraft residing at HAV on a more permanent basis were two DC-10s – respectively still wearing AOM and Air Lib liveries, several years after these French airlines ceased to exist. A few An-24s and an IL-62 were also positioned around the maintenance area in varying conditions.




Unfortunately, what I did not realise is that after disembarking the buses were going to different arrival areas – presumably separate areas for Cubans and other nationals. After it was established that I was in the wrong arrivals terminal a bus arrived to take me to the international terminal. I know now for next time, and there will certainly be a next time.

With regard to Cubana, the flight and aircraft were fine but the experience of Cubana on the ground at Caracas was not the most pleasant one. I would recommend anyone else wishing to take this airline/route combination to arrive at the airport very early, get in line for check-in at the earliest opportunity and hopefully the whole process won’t be as slow as I experienced.

***

Naturally, I checked the internet to find out the history of the aircraft on which I had just flown. I discovered that this aircraft was the latest to be delivered to Cubana – in December 2006. It was also the latest IL-96 to be delivered to any carrier, the previous delivery being quite some time before this.

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Photo © Pascal Maillot