Russia will not be able to make the Il-96 a mass passenger aircraft simply by expanding production: economic constraints and the lack of an engine for wide-body aircraft prevent this. This conclusion was reached by aviation expert SkyExpert, analyzing the dispute over whether the country needs its own wide-body aircraft or if the narrow-body Tu-214 is better for long-haul routes.

As an example, the expert considered flights from Khabarovsk, Magadan, and Anadyr to the European part of Russia. According to his assessment, replacing wide-body liners with the Tu-214 will not necessarily make transportation more profitable: passengers are only part of the revenue from a long-haul flight, and cargo transportation can significantly affect its economics.

For comparison, the expert cited 2008 prices: a ticket from Khabarovsk to Moscow cost about 10 thousand rubles, and transporting a kilogram of cargo cost 40 rubles. In his calculation, a passenger weighing 75–80 kg with luggage brought the airline approximately the same revenue as transporting 250 kg of cargo. Currently, according to his data, a ticket from Magadan or Anadyr at an unsubsidized rate costs about 20 thousand rubles, and a kilogram of cargo costs 600 rubles. With this ratio, the revenue from one passenger with luggage is equivalent to transporting approximately 33 kg of cargo.

The expert believes that on remote routes, a wide-body aircraft can remain economically viable even with a partially empty cabin if it carries a significant volume of cargo. The Tu-214 has fewer opportunities to compensate for passenger revenue shortfalls with cargo transportation, and in Chukotka, limited transport accessibility creates additional difficulties. At the same time, the transition to narrow-body aircraft, according to his assessment, can significantly increase transportation costs.

The argument about the possibility of opening more direct flights between St. Petersburg and the Far East is also not considered decisive by the expert: such flights are already being operated, including with intermediate stops. And additional flights with several stops can increase costs and travel time.

In his opinion, the problem with the Il-96 lies not only in the aircraft itself but also in the economics of its production and operation. Until a suitable engine is created, and increasing Il-96 production becomes economically viable, it will be difficult to make this liner a mass-produced machine.