The prospect of re-engining the Il-96-400M long-haul aircraft by replacing four PS-90A1s with two PD-35 engines is practically non-existent, according to Yury Tretyakov, a technical lead in aircraft manufacturing. He expressed this opinion to “Pervy Tekhnichesky”.
He explained that installing two PD-35s would require solving a whole complex of design problems anew. Changing the number and class of engines would affect the layout, structural elements, and systems of the aircraft, and implementing such an option, in his estimation, would require a separate set of design work and tests.
There are no prospects for two engines for such an aircraft in any timeframe.
Aviation expert Roman Gusarov told “Pervy Tekhnichesky” that the idea of installing PD-35s on the Il-96-400 is theoretically solvable, but its implementation is associated with a number of complexities in the liner's design.
Plans to install promising engines on the Il-96-400 were mentioned by OAK head Vadim Badekha back in the summer of 2025. At the same time, on the current OAK website, the serial configuration of the Il-96-400M is still listed with four PS-90A1s.