The Tupolev Tu-154 was the most massive passenger jet ever constructed in the Soviet Union. The first flight by a Tu-154 was in 1968. In 1970, mass production got underway, and a total of 1,026 planes came off the assembly line before the model was put to rest in 2009. Until the late 2000s, the Tu-154 remained one of the primary aircraft for medium-range flights in Russia. In recent years, however, Russian airlines have been abandoning these planes, mainly in favor of aircraft with better fuel efficiency and smaller flight crews (every Tu-154 needs two pilots, a navigator, and a flight engineer). In Russian hangars today, there are fewer than a dozen remaining Tu-154s, and in air fleets around the former USSR, there are just a few more still. Photographer Andrei Volkov accompanied two Tu-154 flights aboard the airline Belavia, flying from Gomel to Nyagan and Noyabrsk, together with oil company workers from Belarus and western Ukraine.
Photo: Andrey Volkov
An old Kraz fueling hose at Gomel airport, before taking off for Noyabrsk.
Photo: Andrey Volkov
The flight engineer conducts a preflight inspection of the aircraft.
Photo: Andrey Volkov
The flight technician prepares the plane for takeoff at Nyagan airport.
Photo: Andrey Volkov
At cruising altitude after leaving Nyagan.
Photo: Andrey Volkov
At cruising altitude over Noyabrsk.
Photo: Andrey Volkov
The keys to various hatches and doors on the aircraft around the flight engineer panel.
Photo: Andrey Volkov
A clock. The Tu-154 has several instruments that are used rarely, if ever, and many systems are redundant. The various instruments that display the speed of the plane, for instance, are made up of five different parts.
Photo: Andrey Volkov
The plane's captain, en route to Nyagan.
Photo: Andrey Volkov
Photo: Andrey Volkov
Photo: Andrey Volkov
The crew discusses the approach vector into Nyagan: without a functioning instrument landing system, it was necessary to land with beacon-tracking. The navigator now uses a tablet to access the necessary maps. Before, he had to carry on board a suitcase full of paper maps.
Photo: Andrey Volkov
The navigator reads the verification checklist before the landing procedure.
Photo: Andrey Volkov
The flight engineer monitors the engines.
Photo: Andrey Volkov
The navigator sets the navigation system before taking off from Nyagan.
Photo: Andrey Volkov
The co-pilot.
Photo: Andrey Volkov
The approach into Gomel.
Photo: Andrey Volkov
Passengers landing in Nyagan.
Photo: Andrey Volkov
Photo: Andrey Volkov
Flight attendants serve lunch.
Photo: Andrey Volkov
Landing.
Photo: Andrey Volkov
Technicians prepare the plane for a short layover in Nyagan. During the winter, for longer layovers, all fuel, food, and water are unloaded from aircraft.
Photo: Andrey Volkov
The taxing and takeover runway in Noyabrsk.
Photo: Andrey Volkov
Photo: Andrey Volkov