Yakovlev Yak-40

The Yakovlev Yak-40, with the NATO reporting name Codling, is a regional trijet designed in the Soviet Union by Yakovlev and produced from 1967 to 1981. The first of five prototypes made its maiden flight on 21 October 1966, production was launched at the Saratov Aviation Plant in 1967, and Soviet type certification followed in 1968. The type flew its first passenger service for Aeroflot on 30 September 1968. It became the backbone of Aeroflot local operations, serving 276 domestic destinations in 1980, and by 1993 Aeroflot Yak-40s had carried 354 million passengers. About 130 were exported to countries from Afghanistan to Zambia. By the time production ended in November 1981 the factory had built 1,011 or 1,013 aircraft, of which a few dozen remained in service by 2019.