Tu-204
ICAO T204Russia's post-Soviet narrowbody, now mostly a government aircraft. Live Tu-204 and Tu-214 positions.
Flying right now
Live · 30s
No Tu-204 is transmitting ADS-B at the moment.
Military aircraft are not obliged to broadcast, so this happens regularly. The count refreshes every thirty seconds.
Airframe
- Manufacturer
- Tupolev
- Role
- Government transport
- Class
- L2J — Landplane, 2 jet engines
- Crew
- 2 to 3
- First flight
- 2 January 1989
- In service
- 1996
Operators airborne
Nothing of this type is up right now.
About the Tu-204
The Tu-204 was Tupolev's attempt at a modern narrowbody to replace the Tu-154 — two engines, a glass cockpit, winglets — and it arrived just as Russian airlines gained access to second-hand Boeings and Airbuses that were cheaper to run and easier to support.
It never sold in numbers, but the state kept buying. The Tu-214 variant serves the Rossiya special flight detachment and the defence ministry, including specialised communications and command versions, and Russia has pushed production as import substitution.
It appears here occasionally, almost always as a government flight.
Callsign prefixes
- RSD
- Rossiya Special Flight Detachment
- RFF
- Russian Federation Air Force
How to recognise it
- —A twin-engine narrowbody with prominent upturned winglets.
- —A long fuselage on a swept wing, superficially like a 757 but with different engine nacelles.
- —Government aircraft wear a white and blue scheme with a Russian flag.
Common questions
+ What is the difference between the Tu-204 and Tu-214?
They are closely related variants of the same design, built at different factories with detail differences in weights and systems. Most government aircraft are Tu-214s.
+ Why did the Tu-204 not sell?
It arrived just as Russian carriers gained access to used Western airliners with better fuel burn, established support networks and easier financing. State orders have kept the line alive.
+ What are the special mission versions?
Russia has developed communications relay and airborne command variants of the Tu-214 for government and military use, alongside the plain staff transports.