The most unusual planes airlines are still flying

It’s so rare to be surprised by a passenger plane that, when it does happen, it gets stored forever in the hangar of fond memories – like the Aerogaviota twin-prop I was invited to fly on from Havana to Cayo Largo del Sur. With neither a boarding bridge nor a staircase, we walked from the sultry apron up a ramp at the rear, into the gaping – un-air-conditioned – fuselage. As we climbed, I saw the name – Antonov. It was an AN-26, built from 1969-1986 in Kyiv, Ukraine (or UkrSSR, as it was then).

The interior looked hardcore ’70s, making this a mid-era model. My anecdote dates from 1995, so the 40-seater was not frighteningly old. The chief incongruity – aside from the birds and insects boarding with us – was the sensation of being taken to a “paradise island” on a vehicle that looked made for delivering paratroopers or aid drops.

Visitors to Cuba can still fly on Russian planes. Ditto North Korea’s Air Koryo. Indeed, unusual passenger aircraft tend to be found in those countries that lie – politically and economically – at the outer edges of the OECD matrix.

Here are some of the other quirky aircraft still aloft, for those who want the journey to be as memorable as the holiday.

Russian Ilyushin Quad-Jet IL96

In 2010, I flew via Moscow Sheremetyevo to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in the Kamchatka Peninsula. The flight was memorable because of its duration – 20 hours from the UK – and the number of time zones crossed, which was 12 by the time I landed in the Russian Far East.

But I also remember the overhead compartments, which would have comfortably taken a full-size suitcase as well as a big bear-like winter coat and a crate of vodka. I was on an Aeroflot IL-86 – and width was very much in evidence. Perhaps the bulkheads were more distant or the passengers were smaller or just happy to be seated, but there was a taiga-like sense of space.

The IL-86 – the first wide-bodied aircraft manufactured by Russia’s Ilyushin, which had been established in the USSR in 1933 – led to the development of the IL96, another wide-bodied, four-engined beast with a longer range. It has a cutting-edge cockpit, large windows and a very roomy cabin, and features Soviet-style interior design, including fold-forward seats and no overhead bins in the middle.

Get on board: The plane’s rollout was stymied by the collapse of the USSR in 1991, though a tiny few are used by the company and as cargo planes. To fly on one, you need to be very dedicated. Cubana still uses one on its Minsk-Havana route. Plane spotters claim a new IL96 project is under way.

Fairchild-Dornier 328JET

Dornier Flugzeugwerke was a German manufacturer founded in 1914 in Friedrichshafen, on the north shore of Lake Constance. It became famous for big, all-metal flying boats like the Wal (Whale) and the 12-engined Do X. Roald Amundsen used Dornier seaplanes for his unsuccessful North Pole attempt in 1925.

In the early ’90s, Dornier’s newly launched turboprop-powered Dornier 328 garnered negative press for noise and reliability. Financial difficulties led to a buyout by US firm Fairchild. The Fairchild-Dornier 328JET, a re-engined version of the turboprop, had its maiden flight in 1998. The little 32-seater would be the last Dornier-designed aircraft to reach production before the company’s collapse during the early 2000s.

Past operators in the US included Atlantic Coast Airlines, which ran domestic routes for Delta and United, and Skyway Airlines, a feeder for Midwest Express. Chinese carriers Hainan Airlines and Grand China Express Air (now Tianjin) also used 328JETs.

Get on board: To ride in one now, you’ll need to book a flight with companies such as Danish charter airline Sun Air (which has eight of them), Key Lime Air/Denver Air Connection in Colorado, or Sepehran Airlines in Iran.

Fokker 70

A once famous aircraft maker, Fokker – founded in 1912 by Dutch aviator Anthony Fokker – played a seminal role in World War One, when the German air force flew Fokker triplanes and biplanes as well as standard monoplanes. Following the war, Fokker managed to shake off the negative perceptions of working with the enemy, providing planes for the Dutch air force, among others.

In 1923, Anthony Fokker moved to the US, where in 1927 he established an American branch of the company, which merged with General Motors in 1930. During the 1920s, Fokker became the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer, with its Trimotor plane being operated by more than 50 airlines.

Alongside Junkers, it had a solid market in Europe. In the following decade the celebrated English author, Nevil Shute, signed a licensing agreement with Fokker and Dutch-operated Fokkers scored significant victories against the Luftwaffe during the Second World War.

Post-1945, Fokker built successful training aircraft and collaborated on jetliners and fighter planes. Its F series of turboprops, intended to compete with the DC3, began in 1955 with the F27 Friendship, which evolved into the Fokker 50.

The F28 Fellowship, a rival to the DC9, became the F100. The smaller F70 was a popular regional jet, flown by Air France Regional, KLM Cityhopper and British Midland.

Get on board: Today, unless you are a member of the air forces of Kenya or Myanmar, to experience a Fokker 70 you will have to fly with Brisbane’s Alliance Airlines, Air Niugini in Papua New Guinea, Suriname’s Fly All Ways or Nairobi-based Skyward Express. Fokker declared bankruptcy in 1996. The name survives in Fokker Next Gen NV, which is looking to develop and manufacture a hydrogen-powered plane.

Boeing 757-300

Most Boeing jets were produced in large numbers. Over its lifetime, from 1981-2004, more than a thousand 757s rolled off the production line. It was a follow-up to the best-selling 727 tri-jet, aimed at short and medium-length routes.

The Boeing 757-300, introduced in 1999, was a longer version, with an extra seven metres on the fuselage – almost as long as the Boeing 747SP – pushing up passenger capacity from 239 to 295 and a whopping 50 per cent increase in cargo space. The “stretched” 757 was designed for high-density, short-haul leisure routes, but only 55 were delivered before production ended in 2004 due to changing market conditions.

Get on board: The “flying pencil” was developed with United Airlines, which still operates a few, as does Delta. Fly Khiva of Uzbekistan also uses 757-300s.

DC-9

There was a time when the letters “DC” (for Douglas Commercial) had a prominence in the skies comparable today with Airbus and Boeing (which absorbed the airframe-maker in 1997). The DC-1, launched in 1933, kicked off a series of passenger jets that included the extremely popular DC-3 and the DC-8, an early long-distance jetliner.

The DC-9, launched in the mid-60s – when the company became McDonnell Douglas – is a single-aisle, five abreast, launched as a rival to Boeing’s 737. The latter came later to market but went on to sell more than 12,000 jets (and counting), as compared with just 976 DC-9s.

Get on board: Apart from a few cargo planes, the only way to take off as a passenger is to fly with African Express Airways of Nairobi.

Saab 2000

Flying in a Saab commercial passenger jet is almost as rare as finding cheap spares for a Saab 900 car. The Swedish airframe maker is best known for its military jets and trainers, and the car firm filed for bankruptcy in 2011.

The Saab 2000 evolved out of the popular Saab 340 twin-turboprop. The first models flew in 1992, and from 1994 the plane was introduced for civil and military use. It’s one of the fastest turboprop-powered passenger aircraft available, with a top cruise speed of 370 knots (685 km/h).

Get on board: Demand flagged in the late ’90s, and only 63 were made. Fewer than half that number are still flying, but you can enjoy this sporty 50-seater if you book a flight with Alaska’s Aleutian Airways or Frost Air of Malmo.

The Telegraph, London