The Return of the Tupolev: Cubana de Aviación Aircraft Back in Service After Seven Years

The Return of the Tupolev: Cubana de Aviación Aircraft Back in Service After Seven Years

A Triumphant Return

Cubana de Aviación, Cuba’s largest airline, has celebrated the return of a Tupolev TU-204E aircraft after a seven-year hiatus, including four years of extensive maintenance in Russia. The aircraft’s reactivation has been celebrated on social media by the airline and the Cuban Import Company of Aviation, with the latter posting, “Our TU-204, CU-T 1702, is already in the homeland! Congratulations!”

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The aircraft’s homecoming was also documented by the Facebook group “Lovers of Cuban Aviation,” where users shared photos and videos of the aircraft’s arrival. Some commentators speculated that the lengthy maintenance period was due to known delays by the Cuban government in paying service providers.

A Journey of Restoration

The Tupolev TU-204 departed from Cuba in July 2019 for a significant overhaul in Ulyanovsk, Russia, following an agreement between the two governments. The Russian government agreed to restore the airworthiness of Cubana’s Russian and Ukrainian aircraft fleet and opened a local maintenance and repair center to support the airline. Russian specialists had evaluated the condition of several aircraft supplied to Cubana between 2005 and 2015 and outlined a comprehensive plan to restore them to operational status.

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A lack of appropriate components for the Russian aircraft had previously hindered Cuba’s fleet maintenance. The Tupolev 204 was sent to Russia on July 4, 2019, for a Check-D at the Spektr-Avia Technic maintenance center at Ulyanovsk Vostochny Airport.

Leasing Agreements Amidst Aircraft Shortages

During the period when the Tupolev aircraft were out of service, Cubana resorted to a wet-leasing contract with Avion Express to use Airbus A320 for a brief period. However, due to economic restrictions that made acquiring dollars difficult, that contract was canceled. The airline then secured a wet-leasing agreement with Plus Ultra Airlines to maintain its flights to Madrid, Spain, and Buenos Aires/Ezeiza, Argentina, using an Airbus A340-300.

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The Future of the Tupolev

The destination of the recently arrived aircraft is unknown, but it used to operate routes such as Bogotá, Cancún, Caracas, Mexico City, Santo Domingo, and São Paulo/Guarulhos. With the aircraft back in service, it remains to be seen how this will impact the future operations of Cubana de Aviación.