Ageing fleet provides backbone of Russian air transport

THE Tupolev-154 has for more than a quarter of a century been the backbone of Russia and the Soviet Union’s air transport system.

It has carried half the number of all passengers flown by Aeroflot and its successors in that time, with that number peaking at 137 million per year in 1990.

About 1,000 have been built, and many remain in service in Russia.