Tupolev Tu-204

Tupolev · Soviet Union · first flew 1989 · airliner

The Tu-204 is Russia's first post-Soviet Western-style narrowbody twinjet, conceived as a modern Tu-154 successor.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, swept
E — Engines	2 × turbofan, wing-mounted
F — Fuselage	Prominent winglets, unusual for a Russian narrowbody of its era
T — Tail	Conventional

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

Spot it by:

Prominent winglets, unusual for a Russian narrowbody of its era
Boeing 757-sized fuselage with two underwing turbofans
Clean Western-influenced profile, not a Soviet trijet or quadjet

Tall winglets on a narrowbody twin are the giveaway, since few Soviet-era types carried them. In silhouette the fuselage is easily mistaken for a Boeing 757, but the clean, modern lines mark it apart from older Russian trijets and quadjets.

Specifications

The Tupolev Tu-204 has a length of 46.14 m (151 ft).
It has a wingspan of 41.8 m (137 ft).
Its maximum speed is 850 km/h (528 mph).
Typical crew: 2 pilots.

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

History

It first flew in January 1989 and entered service in 1996 with a modern glass cockpit. Built only in small numbers after the collapse of the Soviet aviation market, it was offered with Russian PS-90A or, for export, Rolls-Royce RB211 engines.

Variants

Versions include the baseline Tu-204-100, the RB211-powered -120/-120C export models, the shortened long-range -300 and the closely related Kazan-built Tu-214.

Where you'll see it

No UK airline operated it, though the Rolls-Royce RB211 export engine option provided the main British industrial link. Operators have included Vladivostok Air, Russia's Red Wings, North Korea's Air Koryo and Egypt's Air Cairo.

Related aircraft

AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 4,893 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.