| Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-104A at Arlanda Airport in 1972 | |
| Role | Narrow-body jet airliner |
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| Manufacturer | Tupolev OKB, Kharkiv Aviation Factory, Kazan Aircraft Production Association, Omsk Aviation Plant 166 |
| Designer | Andrei Tupolev |
| First flight | 17 June 1955; 69 years ago |
| Introduction | 15 September 1956 (Aeroflot) |
| Retired | 1981 |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary users | Aeroflot ČSA |
| Produced | 1956–1960 |
| Number built | 201 |
| Developed from | Tupolev Tu-16 |
| Variants | Tupolev Tu-110 Tupolev Tu-124 |
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The Tu-154 was developed to meet Aeroflot's requirement to replace the jet-powered Tu-104 and the Antonov An-10 and Ilyushin Il-18 turboprops. The requirements called for either a payload capacity of 16–18 t (35,000–40,000 lb) with a range of 2,850–4,000 km (1,540–2,160 nmi) while cruising at 900 km/h (490 kn), or a payload of 5.8 t (13,000 lb) with a range of 5,800–7,000 km (3,100–3,800 nmi) while cruising at 850 km/h (460 kn). A take-off distance of 2,600 m (8,500 ft) at maximum takeoff weight was also stipulated as a requirement. Conceptually similar to the British Hawker Siddeley Trident, which first flew in 1962, and the American Boeing 727, which first flew in 1963, the medium-range Tu-154 was marketed by Tupolev at the same time as Ilyushin was marketing its long-range Ilyushin Il-62. The Soviet Ministry of Aircraft Industry chose the Tu-154, as it incorporated the latest in Soviet aircraft design and best met Aeroflot's anticipated requirements for the 1970s and 1980s
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.