MoscAvia Continued | 1995-2010

(TOP)
Airline - MoscAvia
Aircraft - Boeing 757-200 | EI-NKE
Delivered to Vesuvio, 1988
Stored at Naples International Airport, 1992
Sold to AerCap, 1993
Leased to Air Wanabada, 1992
Returned to AerCap, 1995
Leased to MoscAvia, 1995
Returned to AerCap, 2002
Leased to Sycamair, 2002
Returned to AerCap, 2010
Stored at Pinal Airpark, 2010
Livery - Standard 1995-2010
Country - Russia

(LEFT)
Airline - MoscAvia
Aircraft - Boeing 737-200 | EI-NTS
Delivered to Northern, 1974
Sold to Louisiana Air Limited, 1989
Transferred to CaliConnect, 1993
Sold to AerCap, 1997
Leased to MoscAvia, 1997
Returned to AerCap, 2010
Stored at Dublin Airport, 2010
Sold to Hemsworth Aviation, 2012
Stored at St Thomas Cyril E King Airport, 2013
Livery - Standard 1995-2010
Country - Russia

(RIGHT)
Airline - MoscAvia
Aircraft - Boeing 737-300 | EI-NUQ
Delivered to California SouthAir, 1990
Transferred to CaliConnect, 1993
Sold to AerCap, 1999
Leased to MoscAvia, 2002
Returned to AerCap, 2015
Stored at Dublin Airport, 2015
Livery - Standard 1995-2010
Country - Russia

In 1994, a MoscAvia Il-86 suffered a catastrophic turbine failure on the number four engine during rotation on New York JFK's runway 22R. Debris from the engine damaged the number three engine and punctured the wing, causing a fuel leak and fire, as well as a huge thrust imbalance between the two sides of the aircraft. With no possibility of keeping the Il-86 airborne, Captain Ilya Magometov and First Officer Mikhail Vankin fought for control, bring the plane down hard back onto the runway. The gear collapsed and the fuselage broke into three pieces, two of which continued at high speed into the swampland at the end of the runway. Most of the wreckage was consumed by fire. Of the 241 passengers and crew on board, 110 were killed, including the Captain, First Officer, and Flight Engineer, however investigators determined that the actions of the flight crew saved the lives of of all 131 survivors, as any attempt to continue to fly beyond the end of the runway would have resulted in a high-speed impact with water and 100% fatality rate. Captain Magometov and First Officer Vankin were posthumously awarded 'Hero of Russia' awards and immortalized with bronze statues in Moscow.

As a result of the accident, MoscAvia was banned by the FAA from continuing to operate Il-86 flights into the United States. The remaining five aircraft were all stored at Domodedovo and eventually scrapped. MoscAvia sought options for replacing the Soviet widebodies in order to continue flight to the US, and eventually settled on leasing six Boeing 757-200s from AerCap, making it the first Russian airline to operate an American-built aircraft. The 757s did not, however, have enough range to fly direct to the east coast, so from 1995 until 2002 (when 767s were first acquired by MoscAvia) all service to the United States was operated via Belfast.

MoscAvia also built a relationship with AerCap from 1995 onwards, leasing 737-200s in 1997 for use on domestic and intra-European routes. Starting in 2002, 737-300s and -500s were also leased, followed by -400s in 2003. While the heavily aged Tupolev and Yakovlev aircraft were retired up to 2010, the 737 family would become the backbone of the MoscAvia regional fleet.

With the introduction of the 757 the MoscAvia livery was also amended slightly, with a gray belly added, as well as small 'Moscow International Airlines' titles under the windows. The official logo was also changed to include titling in English, and titles in English (including the small subtitle) were painted on the right side of all aircraft. This retouched brand would remain until 2010.