Since February 2024, Red Wings Airlines has resumed passenger transportations by aircraft on the Tu-214. This type of aircraft is used in Russia by the Rossiya special flight unit in the interests of government agencies, large state corporations, government delegations and delegations of the President’s Office. Red Wings actively operates the aircraft on international and domestic routes.
SuperJet 100 aircraft form the basis of the Red Wings fleet. The Tu-214 allows for a significant increase in traffic volumes, its updated cabin is designed in a single-class economy class layout for 194 passengers compared to 100 for the SSJ100.
The airliner’s range reaches 5,200 kilometres or more with a reduced commercial load, which is a significant increase compared to the Superjet. These characteristics make the Tu-214 an ideal solution in the current situation for domestic air carriers due to the policy of Western countries’ restrictions against Russia.
The more the airliner is in the air, the lower its operating costs, and the use of the machine becomes profitable for airlines. The Tu-214 performs medium-range flights to Georgia, Israel, Armenia and Turkey, as well as to Russian cities. According to Konstantin Timofeev, Managing Director of Tupolev, in July this year the aircraft flew more than 300 hours, which proves its efficiency and ease of maintenance.
The liner’s comfortable cabin also plays a big role in attracting passengers. ‘While the norm is 750 mm, the distance between the seats in the main part of the cabin is 780 mm, and in the tail part – 810 mm,’ K. Timofeev noted in his TG-channel.
In 2024, Red Wings expects to receive a Tu-204, which has been modernised and will return to service after a long period of storage. In addition, the company has already received one passenger Tu-204 and a modernised IL-96-400T in cargo version, which allows it to occupy its cargo niche in the Russian market.
The Comprehensive Development Programme for the aviation industry until 2030 predicts a gradual increase in the production of Tu-214 aircraft: four in 2025, seven in 2026, 17 in 2027, and from 2028 onwards the production rate of at least 28 aircraft annually. In total, Kazan Aircraft Plant is to manufacture and deliver 115 Tu-214 aircraft to airlines by 31 December 2030.
