The Tu-154 is a Soviet-built, three-engine airliner designed in the late 1960s that was the workhouse of the Soviet, and later Russian, fleet of intermediate range passenger jets. In recent years, Russian airlines have replaced the jets with modern aircraft – often manufactured by Boeing or Airbus – but the military and some other government agencies in Russia have continued to use them.
Russia’s minister for industry and trade said Sunday that it was too early to make a decision about whether to take the jets out of service.
“There are a lot of aircraft in the world that are no longer being produced but are still being flown,” said the official, Denis Manturov. “First we need to finish the investigation and understand the reasons (for the crash), and then make decisions.”
(Sourced from agencies, feature image courtesy:oneindia.com)
