Lost Potential: A TU-204-100 Wishlist

The Tupolev Tu-204 was robbed of a Tu-154 style production run by the collapse of the Soviet Union, which is a real shame as it appears to be a decent aircraft broadly in line with Western contemporaries at the dawn of the 90s. In the end although the aircraft has had a 30-year production run only around 90 aircraft were made. Even so, the type has appeared in a surprising number of liveries which we'll hopefully be seeing on NG Models releases soon.

Special thanks to Minh Quan Nguyen for help with this wishlist.

The Tu-204 obviously bears a resemblance to the Boeing 757, with which it is roughly analogous. However, to my eye, it has quite a distinctive profile, which means it is hard to confuse with the US type/ It may not have had the range of the 757 but in other respects seems to have been reasonably competitive, although no doubt it was constrained by its Russian engines (a small number were fitted with Rolls-Royce engines). Certainly, compared with over Soviet designs of a similar vintage, like the IL-96, the Tu-204 looks like it was a better bet.

​I think there can be little doubt that if the Soviet Union had of continued it would have been produced in large numbers and seen service with Aeroflot and other Warsaw Pact state airlines. As it was it was thrust into a decentralized Russian airline environment the type was acquired in small numbers by a variety of new Russian airlines but its sales prospects were hamstrung by the collapse of the Russian economy and subsequent availability of Western aircraft with guaranteed support mechanisms. 

​There have been multiple variants of the basic TU-204, although many of them have not seen production. The original TU-204-100 and 200 baseline designs are broadly similar to the TU-214. The main difference between the variants is bizarrely that they are made in different factories both of which are independent of Tupolev. The TU-204-300 (or TU-234) is a shortened longer-range variant.

Existing Models

A Herpa 1:500 TU-204 in the colours of KMV

Interestingly there have already been TU-204s made in less popular scales. I own quite a few 1:600 scale Schabak TU-204s and more recently Herpa has produced 6 standard length TU-204s and a single TU-204-300 in 1:500.

A Herpa 1:500 TU-204 in the colours of Aviastar / DHL

Possibilities in 1:400

​The production of fresh Soviet-era moulds in 1:400 scale has been widely panned by many who have questioned their sales prospects. In a traditional US oriented market I think this is fair however in a more diverse China and Europe facing sales market I think there is plenty of scope for a TU-204, especially if production runs can viably be kept at a few hundred a piece.

A 1:600 Schabak TU-204 from my collection

​NG Models, HYJLwings and Panda have shown that this is achievable and the production of low use moulds like the ARJ21, C919 and Beluga XL suggest strongly that a TU-204 could be viable. Plus, it has the all-important Chinese operator heritage, albeit only a single aircraft. 

Here's a look at what could be made. I'll just stick to the standard length Tu-204-100/Tu-214 in this post and there'll be a separate wishlist for the short Tu-204-30/Tu-234 coming soon.

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Aeroflot

If Aeroflot ever operated the TU-204 it was for only a short period in the early 90s but several aircraft appeared in SU colours and Aeroflot always sells well it seems so I think all three of these are very viable.

Above: Prototype at Paris in 1991. â€‹DoD photo by JO1 PETE HATZAKOS [Public domain]

https://www.airliners.net/photo/Aeroflot-Russian-International-Airlines/Tupolev-Tu-204-100S-Tu-204C/4271539/L

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Tupolev

Fitted with Rolls-Royce engines at Farnborough 1992:

Anthony Noble (GFDL 1.2 or GFDL 1.2 ), via Wikimedia Commons

and MAKS 97:

Below is the stillborn Tu-204SM version from 2011:

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Aviastar-Tu Airline Ops

I'm not sure if Aviastar Cargo still use the TU-204 but they had a few for a while, which wore a wide array of scheme versions. DHL is the most obvious seller.

Anna Zvereva from Tallinn, Estonia, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Dejan Milinković [GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html) or GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html)]

https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/5961651

English: Aleksandr MarkinРусский: Александр Маркин, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Alan Lebeda (GFDL 1.2 or GFDL 1.2 ), via Wikimedia Commons

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Air China Cargo

Chinese orders in the end amounted to only a single aircraft delivered but basically if it's Chinese I think the large home market make it a good seller.

Dmitriy Pichugin [GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html) or GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html)]

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Air Koryo

Considering North Korea's strong relationship with China i'd be amazed if we didn't see  the Koryo liveries even though they only operated a single full length Tu-204 - P-633. There are three variants:

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Cubana

Cubana releases seem generally popular and they appear to still operate at least one TU-204. Another obvious high viability candidate?

DomodedovoSpotters [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

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Mahan Air

The Iranian carrier leased a pair of Cairo Aviation Tu-204s in 2005/06.

Konstantin von Wedelstaedt (GFDL 1.2 or GFDL 1.2 ), via Wikimedia Commons

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Red Wings

Although it has stepped back from its orders for new TU-204s Red Wings still is the largest civil operator of the type. A contemporary release with a lovely scheme as well. Sounds like it would sell ok to me.

Luc Verkuringen [CC BY 3.0 CC BY-SA 3.0 GFDL]

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Russia Post (Aviastar)

Now that's a livery!

Dmitry Terekhov from Odintsovo, Russian Federation [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]

https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/8463153

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Rossiya

The government operator not the airline portion of Rossiya. I've never liked the grey scheme much but it has been made lots of times in 1:400 on other types.

Björn Strey, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Below RA-64515 converted as an airborne communication platform with dorsal addition:

Anna Zvereva from Tallinn, Estonia [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]

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Russian Air Force

The Russian Air Force use a special variant, the TU-214ON, for Open Skies flights. Nice scheme and quite exotic. Probably sell a couple of hundred?

Dmitry Zherdin [CC BY-SA 3.0 GFDL 1.2]

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RusJet

RusJet are a business aviation operator but people love the Aeroflot scheme so maybe this is a go-er?

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RusAir

Another private operator in the bespoke charter and bizjet line:

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Older Russian Operators

There are a collection of older Russian airlines that used the TU-204. These are mostly larger well known Russian airlines (if you know anything about Russian airlines) and many have seen 1:400 releases on other types.

For me these are the most interesting possible models and the ones I'd be most interested in.

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Transaero

Alex Pereslavtsev [GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html) or GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html)]

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Dalavia

Not the loveliest scheme but it has been made in 1:400 by Aeroclassics on TU-154s and they were an important airline to the Russian Far East.

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Sibir

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Kras Air

For a while in the early 2000s Kras Air was one of Russia's largest airlines and I think there is scope for more releases than the current IL-96. 

Dmitriy Pichugin [GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html) or GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html)]

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Vnukovo

A major airline in the Moscow market and Russia - great livery too! Also the launch customer.

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KMV

Another less well known but still quite major operator at the time. Great livery too and it has been made in 1:500 already.

Dmitriy Pichugin [GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html) or GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html)]

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Perm Airlines

Actually quite a decent sized airline in the 90s but not a great scheme and probably too obscure for most. They had a much better livery later on.

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Transeuropean

Short-lived Russian charter airline Transeuropean operated at least 1 Tu-204, RA-64018, at the end of the 90s.

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Oren Air

A more recent operator. Aeroflot's old charter arm is nonetheless a bit obscure.

Maarten Visser from Capelle aan den IJssel, Nederland [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]

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Cairo Aviation

I'll finish up with one of the few non-Russian operators. That might make it more plausible but frankly it is barely a livery at all.

Inal Khaev [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]

​Cairo Aviation / TNT

Then again they did operate SU-EAJ in the colours of TNT for a while, which is a lot more saleable.

Photo by Tibor Mester from jetphotos.net