The 1000 Day Holiday

I was pondering how to get out of Cuba, the cheapest airline is Cubana. Cubas national airline.

Online reviews suggested taking Mexicana as they have proper planes, and a decent saftey record. But Cubana won on price. I didn´t bother to check if it was on the EU banned list.

While exploring Habana I did come across this billboard. Yes that is a Cubana plane going down in flames.

Once I had bought my ticket, I discovered I was flying on something called a Yak 42. A quality russian airplane. So what if its called a Yak.. They’re pretty hardy animals.

Once on board, I was sitting beside a russian. The male cabin attendant was russian, part time onboard mechanic as well? And the panel above my head summed it up.

During takeoff the aircon system started misting up the cabin, some people started freaking out as it enveloped them.

After all that humdrum, it turns out I got to Guatemala safe and sound. And decided to read a little about the old Yak42…

Wikipedia states

The Yak-42 was built at Smolensk, and it entered service with Aeroflot in late 1980. Almost 100 had been delivered by 1993.

Shortly after the type’s introduction into commercial service, a number of accidents caused by vibrations in the tail section of the aircraft forced a suspension of the type’s operations. After the necessary modifications were made, the Yak-42 re-entered service in the Soviet Union circa 1985.

The type was never exported as new, only after the political transition of the former Soviet Union, a few Yak-42s were leased out to carriers in Africa, Cuba, Pakistan and in former Yugoslavia.

as of August 2007 133 out of 300 Yakovlev Yak-42 aircraft remain in airline service.

I dont want to know what happened to the other 167 of the Yaks…