Tupolev Tu-124 "Cookpot"

Tupolev · Soviet Union · first flew 1960 · airliner

The Tupolev Tu-124 was a Soviet short-range twin-turbofan airliner, notable as one of the first production airliners to use turbofan engines, and designed as a scaled-down Tu-104 for thinner routes.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, swept
E — Engines	2 × turbofan, embedded-mounted
F — Fuselage	Scaled-down Tu-104 with rear-fuselage turbofan engines
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Scaled-down Tu-104 with rear-fuselage turbofan engines
Low swept wing with engines in rear fuselage pods
T-tail lacking — conventional tail distinguishes from later Soviets

Resembles a smaller Tu-104 with the same low swept wing and similar fuselage cross-section, but the engines are mounted in the rear fuselage rather than at the wing roots; the conventional tail without T-configuration differentiates it from the later Tu-134.

Specifications

The Tupolev Tu-124 has a length of 30.58 m (100 ft).
It has a wingspan of 25.55 m (84 ft).
Its maximum speed is 970 km/h (603 mph).
Typical crew: 4 + up to 56 passengers.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

First flown in 1960, the Tu-124 entered Aeroflot service in 1962, replacing piston-engined types on domestic Soviet routes. It was exported to India, Iraq, and East Germany. The type is remembered for a 1963 incident in which a Tu-124 ditched on the Neva River in Leningrad and all survived.

Variants

The Tu-124V was the main production version with greater capacity; the Tu-124K was a VIP transport variant.

Where you'll see it

Operated by Aeroflot and export customers including Indian Airlines, Iraqi Airways, and Interflug (East Germany); phased out of service by the late 1970s.

Related aircraft

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