Manufacturer · Russia · Founded 1922
Tupolev: First to Fly Supersonic
On the last day of 1968, a white, needle-nosed airliner with drooping delta wings took off from an airfield near Moscow. It was the Tupolev Tu-144, and it had just beaten Concorde into the air by two months. That race sums up Tupolev: for decades, the Soviet Union’s main airliner maker was determined to be first, biggest or fastest, and it built most of the jets that carried passengers across a sixth of the world’s land.
Andrei Tupolev and the first Soviet jetliner
The design bureau was founded in 1922 by the engineer Andrei Tupolev, and for its first decades it built mostly bombers. Its first jet airliner, the Tu-104, was in fact developed from a bomber. On 15 September 1956 it entered service with Aeroflot, then the world’s largest airline.
The timing was remarkable. The world’s first jetliner, Britain’s de Havilland Comet, had been grounded after a series of crashes. So from 1956 to 1958, the Tu-104 was the only jet airliner in regular service anywhere on Earth. Over its life it carried more than 90 million passengers.
The arc
Tupolev’s airliner story
- 1922The bet
Andrei Tupolev starts out
The design bureau that bears his name is founded.
- 1956Proof
Tu-104 enters service
Aeroflot starts jet services on 15 September; for two years it is the only jetliner flying.
- 1968The bet
Tu-154 and Tu-144 fly
The Tu-154 flies on 4 October; the supersonic Tu-144 on 31 December.
- 1977Proof
Supersonic passengers
The Tu-144 carries its first fare-paying passengers.
- 1978Break
Tu-144 withdrawn
Passenger service ends after a second fatal accident.
- 1990sReset
Tu-204
A modern twinjet in the class of the Boeing 757, built in small numbers.
The supersonic gamble
The Tu-144 looked a lot like Concorde, which earned it the nickname “Concordski” in the West. Both used slim delta wings and a nose that drooped down on landing so pilots could see the runway. But the Tu-144 had problems Concorde didn’t. Its engines needed afterburners for long stretches of the flight, which burned huge amounts of fuel, and the cabin was famously loud.
It started carrying mail and cargo between Moscow and Almaty in December 1975, and fare-paying passengers in 1977. Less than a year later, after a second fatal accident, it was withdrawn from passenger service. Concorde went on flying passengers until 2003. You can read more about it on our Concorde makers page.
The workhorses: Tu-134 and Tu-154
Tupolev’s biggest commercial successes were far less glamorous. The Tu-134, a short-haul twinjet with its engines mounted at the tail like a DC-9, was built 854 times. The three-engined Tu-154, which first flew on 4 October 1968, became the backbone of Aeroflot and of airlines across Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa. With 1,026 built, it was tough enough to use rough runways and powerful enough for hot, high airports.
The real numbers
Tupolev in figures
1,026
Tu-154s built
First flight 4 October 1968
854
Tu-134s built
Short-haul twinjet
90m+
Tu-104 passengers
Carried by Aeroflot
2 months
Ahead of Concorde
Tu-144 first flight, 31 Dec 1968
What came after
After the Soviet Union ended, Tupolev built the Tu-204 and Tu-214, modern twinjets in the class of the Boeing 757. They were built only in small numbers, as most airlines in the region switched to Boeing and Airbus. Tupolev is now part of Russia’s state aircraft group, alongside Ilyushin. If you want to see a classic Tupolev today, museums are the most reliable place: Monino near Moscow, and Sinsheim in Germany, where a Tu-144 sits beside a Concorde.
Iconic aircraft
1956
Tupolev Tu-104
The Soviet Union’s first jetliner; carried over 90 million passengers with Aeroflot.
1967
Tupolev Tu-134
A short-haul twinjet with engines at the tail; 854 built.
1972
Tupolev Tu-154
A three-engined workhorse; 1,026 built, the backbone of Aeroflot.
1968
Tupolev Tu-144
The first supersonic airliner to fly, two months before Concorde.
Sources & Further Reading
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Did the Tu-144 fly before Concorde?
Yes. The Tu-144 prototype first flew on 31 December 1968, about two months before Concorde’s first flight in March 1969. Concorde, though, went on to fly passengers for 27 years; the Tu-144 carried passengers for well under a year.
Why was the Tu-144 retired so quickly?
It began carrying mail and cargo in 1975 and passengers in 1977, but it was withdrawn from passenger service in 1978 after a second fatal accident. It was also noisy, thirsty and hard to maintain.
How many Tu-154s were built?
1,026. It first flew on 4 October 1968 and for decades was the main medium-haul airliner across the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
Was the Tu-104 the first jet airliner?
No, that was the British de Havilland Comet. But the Tu-104 was the second to enter regular service, and between 1956 and 1958, while Comets were grounded, it was the only jetliner in service anywhere in the world.
Can you still fly on a Tupolev?
Very rarely. A small number of Tu-204 and Tu-214 aircraft still fly, mostly in Russia and often for government use. The classic Tu-134 and Tu-154 have almost entirely left passenger service.