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TupolevRegional jetRetired

Tupolev Tu-124 family

The Tu-124 story, from first flight to lasting reputation

The compact Soviet twinjet that brought jet service to shorter domestic routes before the Tu-134 took over.

Tupolev Tu-124 family is a retired regional jet built by Tupolev. It first flew in 1960, entered service in 1962, and went on to shape airline fleets, passenger journeys, and aviation memory.

First flight

1960

Service entry

1962

Seating band

44 to 56

Tupolev Tu-124 family is a retired regional jet by Tupolev, first flown in 1960 and introduced in 1962, with typical seating for 44 to 56 and range up to 1,135 nautical miles.

Regional coverage here treats route economics, cabin feel, airport practicality, and airline deployment as equally important parts of the aircraft’s identity.

Range band

1,135 nm

Notable operators

Aeroflot · CSA · Interflug · Iraqi Airways

Source stack

  • Manufacturer heritage material
  • type certificate and planning data
  • museum and preservation references

Variants

Representative variants

Manufacturer pageForum hubCompare families

Variant

Tu-124V

Tu-124V is a retired member of the Tupolev Tu-124 family, known for the principal passenger version used across Soviet and allied networks.

Range 1,135 nm · Entry 1963

Specifications

Current public facts

Manufacturer
Tupolev
Program history
Class
Regional jet
Aircraft category
First flight
1960-03-24
Program history
Service entry
1962-10-02
Operator records
Current status
Retired
Fleet references
Typical seating
44 to 56
Operator and cabin references
Range band
Up to 1,135 nm
Program literature
Cruise speed
476 kt
Planning data

Archive moments

Human context

The Tu-124 occupies an important transition between the pioneering Tu-104 and the more familiar rear-engined regional jets that followed.
These aircraft earn archive space when frequency, network fit, and cabin feel define how people actually remember regional flying.

Timeline

Program milestones

  1. 1960

    First flight

    The Tu-124 begins flight testing and establishes the public shape of the family.

  2. 1962

    Service entry

    The family enters passenger or executive service and begins building its operating footprint.

  3. Today

    Archive afterlife

    Surviving aircraft, photographs, documents, and first-hand memories keep the program visible long after regular passenger service.

Related news

Editorial context

All news
No editorial dispatches are attached to this family yet. The aircraft record is live, and newsroom or archive coverage can be layered onto it later without changing the URL.

Forum threads

Community memory

Family hub