Last Five Tu-154 Airliners in China DecommissionedFive Tu-154 airliners owned by Xinjiang-based China Northwest Airlines Tuesday became the last group of their kind to be decommissioned in China.Made in the former Soviet Union and designed to travel at 950 km per hour and carry 164 passengers, the jet passenger airliners made their debut in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in 1985. The airline company introduced a total of five Tu-154 over the years. The airline is introducing new models of aircraft to make up for the loss of transporting capacity caused by the decommissioning. Other smaller Chinese airlines, including Southwest Airlines, which once owned or leased Tu-154 passengers planes, have now replaced them with American or European made aircraft. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |