Aeroflot phasing out Soviet made aircraft

Thanks for the reminder, Ren Frew, I was at the Ferigehy Air Park over a year ago and haven’t got round to sorting out my photographs yet! Most of the aircraft can be entered and the Russian interior decor and cockpits are very interesting, visits there are highly recommended!

For the vast Russian areas of the east airtravel is the only way. Ever been on roads of the North? When the USSR imploded a lot of outlying areas where left marooned. Not only in Russia, also in the other ex-SSRs.

Absolutely right. Aeroflot existed purely as a means to an end as far as the Soviet Union was concerned. On the one hand, as you rightly say air travel was the only means of crossing vast areas of the country and those operations were a remit laid down by Moscow at that time. When you think that some Aeroflot “scheduled services” and ambulance/rescue duties were operated by many types of aircraft and helicopters some with floats and others with skis! often in appalling weather. You can just see BA doing that kind of thing can’t you. The domestic services mainly catered for Soviet citizens who also had a cheaper fares structure that operated alongside that charged for foreign passengers. The international services were mainly useful for maintaining links with the “satellite” countries along with “solidarity” flights to those states well disposed towards the USSR. They also delivered much needed foreign currency into the Soviet system for obvious uses. Aeroflots links with the Soviet Air Force is well known and as in the west, would become subordinate to its control and objectives, the same circumstances in fact that were applicable to my favourite airline Interflug. Its good that the winged Hammer and Sickle flies on….but for how much longer? 🙁

I had the pleasure of driving past Malev’s museum park outside Budapest airport the other week. Tupolev’s Yaks and Ilyushins a plenty. I agree it will be a sad day when Boeing and Airbus products dominate the skies, if that hasn’t happened already.

I think the last soviet type I’ve seen in the air was probably a Balkan Tu-154 at GLA, but as mentioned they’ve gone all Airbus nowadays too.

Some recent pictures from Vnukovo, including Tu-154Ms of various Russian airlines that are already extinct!
http://www.planesandchoppers.com/groups.asp?id=26

They certainly did Steve, at least on the Soviet types anyway.

Schorsch, Aeroflot was most certainly the largest airline in the world by aircraft count. However as the entity was created to serve the needs of a command economy and to play its part in the objectives of the Soviet Govt, any other comparison with “Western” airline is meaningless. As its duties also included operating social obligation routes as well as a huge domestic and international network, not to mention the civil airports as well, I should imagine that there was many a “Wladimir” that was pleased that Aeroflot was there 🙂

For the vast Russian areas of the east airtravel is the only way. Ever been on roads of the North? When the USSR imploded a lot of outlying areas where left marooned. Not only in Russia, also in the other ex-SSRs.

We never get to see many Soviet types in this country only the occasional cargo types from time to time…although Aeroflot used to run a Moscow-Sydney service a few years back using IL62’s… but i think it only lasted a short time due to poor payloads

I should imagine that would be a great experience…i believe Russian pilots tend to take a very steep approach when landing

They certainly did Steve, at least on the Soviet types anyway.

Schorsch, Aeroflot was most certainly the largest airline in the world by aircraft count. However as the entity was created to serve the needs of a command economy and to play its part in the objectives of the Soviet Govt, any other comparison with “Western” airline is meaningless. As its duties also included operating social obligation routes as well as a huge domestic and international network, not to mention the civil airports as well, I should imagine that there was many a “Wladimir” that was pleased that Aeroflot was there 🙂

luckily i still see TU-154s regularly as the Polish Government use them.I remember BH- 154s about 7-8 years ago at MAN. My folks even flew 1.

These were the machines that made the original Aeroflot (not the pale incarnation we see today) into the worlds biggest carrier …

Aeroflot was “biggest” by its aircraft-count, but never achieved a leading position in either destinations or seat-kilometers flown or offered. Air transportation of the average Wladimir always was a costly undertaking for the Soviet economy, and therefore there was a mass market for air transportation.

I have flown many hours on those ‘beasts’ and have enjoyed every minute (and survived!) And if you have never experienced a climbout on a lightly loaded Tu134A, or landed at LHR in the nose navigators position on one then you have not lived 😀

I should imagine that would be a great experience…i believe Russian pilots tend to take a very steep approach when landing

I flew on an IL 62 when I was a toddler…. I really wish i would have more fresh memories of that flight than the current obscure ones. It has to be one of the most gorgeous looking aircraft.

A great shame to see the sun setting on the Ilyushins and Tupolevs and the other Russian manufacturers. These were the machines that made the original Aeroflot (not the pale incarnation we see today) into the worlds biggest carrier and provider to the Soviet Union of its ability to span the globe with its air services as well as perfoming virtually all civil and quasi civil operations within the USSR. Its all very well Putin criticising the Russian aviation industry now, had he shown more leadership and promotion of the Russian aviation industry during his time as President then I think the outlook for the Russian companies may well have been very different today. I have flown many hours on those ‘beasts’ and have enjoyed every minute (and survived!) And if you have never experienced a climbout on a lightly loaded Tu134A, or landed at LHR in the nose navigators position on one then you have not lived 😀

The 154 is not such a bad plane for the passenger. Suprisingly quiet inside, in contrast to some Yak products. Only negative point is the non-standard overhead storage, as they will not hold the average 45″ carry-on.

July 2008 a Belavia TU-154 visited MAN
Neil Lomax photographed it

Yes.

Well over a year ago.

Which is quite a long time.

July 2008 a Belavia TU-154 visited MAN
Neil Lomax photographed it
Myself i flew on a TU-134A from MAN in summer of 1972 with Aviogenex to Dubrovnik

used to love to see the Balkan Holidays TU-154s at Ringway, i think an odd one still visits on rare occassions

I flew with them from Gatwick to Bursa once.

used to love to see the Balkan Holidays TU-154s at Ringway, i think an odd one still visits on rare occassions

It’s been a long time since we last had a Tu154 in MAN.

Balkan Holidays has an all-Airbus fleet these days.

used to love to see the Balkan Holidays TU-154s at Ringway, i think an odd one still visits on rare occassions

Yes but there visibility will still remain quite scarce, no matter what year they were built in.

Some Tu-154M were built in the 1990s and 2000s, they are anything but museum pieces. Technically outdated for long, they have their upsides when operated under “Soviet” conditions.