I heard an unsubstantiated rumor that the Chinese have hinted they may be willing to fund some of the restoration. It would be interesting to know how much the aircraft originally cost to design and build. As for its “business case”, the original intent was as a transport for the Russian version of the space shuttle, so cost was not a deciding factor. There are certain projects that the 225 is the only civilian craft capable of carrying the load or size. However, I’m not sure there are enough of them to justify the cost of reconstruction.