Tu-134A-3

The Tupolev Tu‑134A‑3 is a later variant of the Soviet‑era Tu‑134 twin‑jet airliner, produced by the Tupolev Design Bureau from the early 1970s until the early 1990s. Designed as a short‑to‑medium‑range transport, the A‑3 version incorporated a modernized avionics suite, upgraded APU, and air‑conditioning improvements that allowed operation in hotter climates. Powered by two Soloviev D‑30 turbofan engines, the aircraft could cruise at 800 km/h and carry up to 84 passengers in a single‑class layout or 72 in a two‑class configuration. Its reinforced landing gear and strengthened fuselage permitted operation from rough, unpaved airfields, a critical capability for many regional carriers across the USSR and later the Commonwealth of Independent States. The Tu‑134A‑3 played a pivotal role in connecting remote Soviet cities, facilitating both civilian travel and military transport, and it became a workhorse for airlines such as Aeroflot, Rossiya, and Belavia. Although gradually superseded by newer Western designs, the type’s reliability, low operating costs, and adaptability left a lasting imprint on post‑Cold War civil aviation in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Production ceased in 1992, but several aircraft remain in limited service with charter operators and flight schools, preserving the Tu‑134A‑3’s legacy as a symbol of Soviet engineering endurance.