A Russian government Ilyushin Il-96-300 landed at Cologne/Bonn Airport on Wednesday morning after flying in from Moscow-Vnukovo under an unusual route that avoided direct overflight through parts of Europe. The aircraft, registered RA-96018, later departed Germany again around midday, in a rare case of a Russian state flight operating into the EU despite sanctions restrictions.
German authorities granted an exception for the flight, which the Federal Foreign Office linked to the departure of staff from the Russian consulate in Bonn. The aircraft’s path took it north of the usual route, reflecting the airspace limits facing Russian-registered aircraft since the invasion of Ukraine. The landing, reported around 09:36 to 09:43 local time, was notable both for its operational complexity and the diplomatic context of the planned closure of the consulate in Bonn.