The first passenger flight operated by Tu-214 landed in Sochi

According to the airport's Telegram channel, the first passenger flight with Tu-214 has landed in Sochi.

The announcement states, "Sochi Airport received Red Wings Airlines' first passenger flight on the Moscow (Zhukovsky) - Sochi route with an updated Tu-214 aircraft. The board of directors was traditionally greeted with a water arch."

Sochi Airport noted that the first flight had over 90% of its cargo capacity filled and that passengers shared positive impressions of the aircraft, the spacious cabin, and the comfortable flight.

As indicated by Red Wings, the Tu-214 will begin flights from Domodedovo to Yerevan, Batumi, and then Tel Aviv starting next week.

The Tu-214 is a medium-range, narrow-body passenger aircraft produced in limited series by the Kazan Aircraft Production Association since 1996.

The restored aircraft joined the Red Wings fleet at the end of December. Manufactured in Kazan in 2009, the aircraft remained in operation until 2017. Last year, following a government decision, the leasing company Ilyushin Finance Co., the owner of the aircraft, organized the restoration of its airworthiness after a prolonged period of storage. In mid-December, the aircraft was issued a new airworthiness certificate.

The Tu-214 has a maximum range exceeding seven thousand kilometers and is designed to accommodate 194 passengers. With full commercial payload, the aircraft can transport passengers up to 5.2 thousand kilometers.