Finnair Ilyushin Il-62

"Due to the uncomfortable political situation Finland found itself in during the Cold War, caught between the Western and Soviet spheres, the Finnish government was careful to please both sides in their military procurement decisions. This was markedly visible in the inventory of the Finnish Air Force, which operated an oft eclectic mix of American, British, Soviet, and Swedish designs, as well as a handful of domestically sourced aircraft; mostly trainers."

"After the war, the Finnish state had acquired a seventy percent stake in the country's main airline, Aero O/Y. Aero had been founded in 1923 and commenced flights the next year, using a Junkers seaplane to fly to Tallinn, Estonia. By the 1930s, the airline had ambitions to launch intercontinental services to the United States; however, the war interrupted all services and resulted in half the fleet being pressed into air force service. After the war, the now state-owned carrier, rebranded Finnair from 1953, was slowly built up on European routes using American-built DC-3 and Convair 340 piston-engined airliners."

"By the 1960s, the airline had acquired French-built Caravelle jets and again explored the possibility of long-distance flights. Both the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 were considered initially, and Finnair management preferred to purchase Western-built types. However, lobbying from both the Finnish government and the Soviet Union on behalf of Ilyushin was substantial. Despite the objections of the airline management, the Finnish state in October 1966 ordered three Il-62 aircraft for Finnair use."

"Forced to accept the aircraft, Finnair specified several changes to the basic model. The aircraft were built with a cargo compartment on the main deck and a moveable divider between the cargo and passenger sections. The fuselage was lightened and some other minor modifications were made, to decrease fuel consumption. Finnair's combi configuration aircraft were referred to as Il-62KO (for 'konvertiruyemyy', or convertible) by Ilyushin, and could be easily distinguished by the cargo door and slightly different window pattern on the lefthand side."

"Finnair took delivery of it's first Il-62 in June of 1969, making them the third airline (and second export customer) to receive the aircraft, after Aeroflot and ČSA Czechoslovak Airlines. In Finnair's initial configuration, the Il-62 could accommodate 16 passengers in first class and 108 passengers in economy, plus cargo on both the main deck and the belly holds. After performing European flights, on 18 August 1969 Finnair inaugurated service to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, via either Amsterdam or Copenhagen, using the Il-62. In the 1970s, the Il-62 was also used to inaugurate service to Bangkok and Chicago."

"In initial service, Finnair was unhappy with the aircraft, which had high fuel consumption, sluggish performance, and a number of other problems with it's Kuznetsov NK-8 engines. In response, Finnair substantially overhauled the aircraft in 1973 and 1974; the fleet of three aircraft returned to Kazan and received the aerodynamic improvements and new Soloviev D-30 engines of the Il-62M variant, and were redesigned Il-62MKOs. The improvements ultimately made a substantial difference in terms of performance and reliability and allowed the aircraft to hold Finnair over until they began receiving the wide-body DC-10-30 aircraft from 1975."

"Following the modifications, the Il-62 proved to be well regarded by both pilots and passengers; with the initial problems ironed out, the aircraft's fundamental strengths, such as a very smooth and stable ride in cruise and low interior noise, were able to shine through. The Finnair Il-62 fleet remained in service until 1986 after being refit, two having been converted in the late 1970s to an all-economy layout with 198 seats for use on charter flights to Mediterranean resort destinations, while the third briefly saw use as a VIP aircraft for the Finnish President, flown by Finnair crews."