Tupolev Tu-214

The Tupolev Tu-214 is the Kazan-built version of the Russian Tu-204 twin-engined, medium-range, narrow-body jet airliner. In effect it is a Tu-204-200: a higher gross weight variant with extra fuel tanks and structural adjustments to carry the added weight. The two names mark the factory as much as the aircraft. Tu-204 airframes come from Aviastar-SP in Ulyanovsk, while Tu-214 airframes are built by the Kazan Aircraft Production Association, known as KAPO, and both plants are independent of the Tupolev design bureau and keep some control over the variant they produce. Visible differences include a full-size main door on the left side of the fuselage just ahead of the wing, giving three doors and one emergency door where the Tu-204 has two main doors and two emergency doors. The Tu-214 first flew on 21 March 1996. Because of its higher weight, the Russian government prefers it as the base for special mission versions, among them the Tu-214ON open skies observation aircraft, the Tu-214PU airborne command post, the Tu-214SR communications relay and the Tu-214R signals intelligence platform. Rossiya airline had three in passenger service as of July 2018, and in 2022 United Aircraft Corporation announced a plan to build 70 Tu-214s by 2030.