#forpilots

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Tupolev Tu-154M Aeroflot – Russian Airlines

Registration: RA-85643 Type: Tu-154M Engines: 3 × D-30КU-154 Serial Number: 88A779 First flight: Jun 1988

Aeroflot, main carrier of the USSR since 1923. It all started with little Junkers Ju-13s. By the 1970s, it was one of the world’s biggest airlines.

In 1972, Aeroflot welcomed the brand-new Tu-154 – a plane that became a true workhorse. Aeroflot loved them, and by the 1980s, hundreds of these planes were crisscrossing the skies, ferrying everyone from vacationers and business travelers to bigwigs. But time marches on, and the popular Tu-154B-2 model at that time began to need an upgrade.

In 1984, the Tu-154M started arriving at Aeroflot – an improved version of the old “Tu” that became a real hit. The NK-8-2U engines were swapped for more powerful and fuel-efficient D-30KU-154s, the electronics got a boost, and the cabin became comfier. Aeroflot put them to work on medium-haul routes, and they faithfully carried passengers across the country and abroad. By the 1990s, the Tu-154M was the backbone of the airline’s fleet.

By the early 2000s, Aeroflot wasn’t the Soviet-era giant anymore – the market had opened up, competition was growing, and Boeing and Airbus started showing up in the fleet. But the Tu-154M held its own, even if it was considered a veteran. During this time, some planes got winglets. These cut fuel consumption and made flights a bit more economical, which mattered with rising kerosene prices. On the ground, the winglets were barely noticeable, but once the plane took to the sky, you couldn’t miss them.

In the 2000s, Tu-154Ms flew popular routes: Moscow–Sochi, Moscow–Yekaterinburg, St. Petersburg–Simferopol. The planes were aging, maintenance costs were climbing, and stricter noise and environmental rules were closing in. Aeroflot gradually phased them out, replacing them with Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s. By 2008, only a handful of “Tu” remained at Aeroflot. The last flight was in December 2009: Moscow–Yekaterinburg. The plane went out with dignity, like an old captain who knows it’s time to retire.

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Airbus A330-300 Delta Air Lines

Registration: N822NW Type: A330-302 Engines: 2 × GE CF6-80E1A4 Serial Number: 1627 First flight: Apr 24, 2015

The history of Delta Air Lines began in 1925, when it was founded under the name Huff Daland Dusters. In 1928, the company was renamed Delta Air Service, and in 1945 – Delta Air Lines. The airline began passenger operations in 1929, and its first route was flights from Dallas, Texas to Jackson, Mississippi. Delta Air Lines currently serves 214 domestic and 97 international destinations in 59 countries.

As of December 2024, Delta Air Lines has a fleet of 984 aircraft, making it one of the largest commercial airlines in the world. Delta's total fleet includes more than 80 Airbus A330 aircraft, of which 33 are A330–300 aircraft used for long-haul flights.

Delta received most of the Airbus A330 airliners at the end of October 2008, as a result of the merger with Northwest Airlines. That year, the company's fleet was replenished with thirty-two aircraft models -200 and -300. Only seven years later, in 2015, Delta began expanding its A330 fleet, and the first of them was the aircraft with registration N822NW, pictured on our poster. It is noteworthy that the registration numbers of the new aircraft retained the ending "NW", inherited from Northwest. The average age of the airline's A330-300 is 16.1 years. Today, Airbus A330 aircraft continue to arrive in the company's fleet, but these are new-generation A330-900 aircraft.

Delta operates the A330-300 primarily on routes to Europe. Major European cities such as London, Paris and Amsterdam are among the company's busiest destinations.

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Bombardier CRJ700 SkyWest Airlines operated for American Eagle

Registration: N713SK Type: CRJ-701ER Engines: 2 × GE CF34-8C5B1 Serial Number: 10174 First flight: Oct 1, 2004

SkyWest Airlines is an American regional airline headquartered in St. George, Utah. Founded on April 26, 1972, by Ralph Atkin, SkyWest began as a small operation to shuttle businessmen between St. George and Salt Lake City. Over the years, it has grown to become the largest regional airline in North America, measured by fleet size, number of passengers carried, and number of destinations served.

SkyWest operates and maintains aircraft used on flights that are scheduled, marketed, and sold by four mainline partner airlines: American Eagle, Alaska Airlines, Delta Connection and United Express. SkyWest operated an average of 1,850 flights per day.

The airline's fleet includes a variety of aircraft, such as the Embraer E175, Bombardier CRJ700, and CRJ900.

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