Tu-134 Tupolev

By Patrick Mondout

The Soviet design bureau Tupolev introduced the Tu-134 short-haul jet in December 1963. The first version could carry 64 passengers in two classes and entered service with Aeroflot in 1967. It has been called the Soviet DC-9 and for good reason. Like the DC-9, it is a twin engine - both in the back - 'T' tail, short-haul, low density aircraft.

Like the DC-9, later versions were produced that had more efficient engines and which could carry more passengers.

Tupolev Tu-134 CCCP-65862, an Aeroflot Tu-134 seen in Sweden, August 1978. Image courtesy of AirNikon. Find more of his photos at Airliners.net

The final Tu-134 rolled off the assembly line in 1985 after 852 had been produced. The aircraft was replaced in Aeroflot's stable by the Yak-42.

Tu-134 Tupolev at a Glance
Engines	2 Soloviev D-30 Series II turbofans
Cruising Speed	558
Passengers	84 (76 standard)
Range	1174
Span	95ft 2in
Length	121ft 6in
Height	42 2in
Weight	103,600
Built	852
Final Production	1985
Mesurements refer to Tu-134A

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		Your Memories Shared!

"I first flew on a Tu-134 in 1982. And they still do fly, the last time I've flown on one was in the Summer of 2003. Actually, in the Soviet times there always was only one class, even though the cabin was split into two sections with a curtain between them, but both were the same class. Nowadays they have been refurbished and have a "business-class" section in the first half of the first section. This business class has the same seats as economy class (4 per row, so there is no way to make the seats wider), just slightly more leg space, and drinks included. I believe as time went buy from Super70s to Awesome80s and beyond, more and more seats were squeezed into the same aircraft by reducing the distance between them. Yak-42 is much worse in this respect than Tu-134 and Tu-154, it's seats are not only spaced closer than the tightest version of Tu but are also narrower." --Sergey