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A Tretyakovo Air Transport Tu-134 at Domodedovo International Airport | |
Role | Airliner |
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National origin | Soviet Union |
Design group | Tupolev |
Built by | Kharkiv State Aircraft Manufacturing Company |
First flight | 29 July 1963 |
Introduction | 9 September 1970 |
Status | In limited use |
Primary users | Aeroflot (historical) Soviet Air Force (historical) Air Koryo ALROSA (historical) |
Produced | 1966–1989 |
Number built | 854 (852 + 2 prototypes) |
Developed from | Tupolev Tu-124 |
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Following the introduction of engines mounted on pylons on the rear fuselage by the French Sud Aviation Caravelle, airliner manufacturers around the world rushed to adopt the new layout. Its advantages included clean wing airflow without disruption by nacelles or pylons and decreased cabin noise. At the same time, placing heavy engines that far back created challenges with the location of the centre of gravity in relation to the centre of lift, which was at the wings. To make room for the engines, the tailplanes had to be relocated to the tail fin, which had to be stronger and therefore heavier, further compounding the tail-heavy arrangement.
During a 1960 visit to France, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev was so impressed by the quiet cabin of the Caravelle, that on 1 August 1960 the Tupolev OKB received an official directive to create the Tu-124A with a similar engine arrangement. The requirement was also driven by the need to replace slow, aging piston-engined Il-14s on domestic routes. In 1961, the Soviet state airline, Aeroflot, updated its requirement specifications to include greater payload and passenger capacity
Ceiling
Combat RANGE
Aircraft Speed
Max Crew
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Maximum speed | 913 km/h (Mach 0.86) | |
Range fully loaded | 2,500 km | |
Range with max fuel | 3,900 km | |
Service ceiling | 12,100 m |
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Between 1970 and December 2016 there were 110 serious incidents involving the Tu-154, including 73 hull losses,
with 2,911 fatalities.
In October 2020 ALROSA, the last Russian passenger airline to operate this aircraft, retired its last remaining Tu-154
In January 2010 Russian flag carrier Aeroflot announced the retirement of its Tu-154 fleet after 40 years, with the last scheduled flight being Aeroflot Flight 736 from Yekaterinburg to Moscow on 31 December 2009.