Key takeaways
- The Tu-134 was the Eastern Bloc’s standard short-haul jet – first flight in 1963, scheduled service with Aeroflot from 1967, around 850 built.
- Fastest way to identify it: two rear engines plus a T-tail plus landing gear pods behind the wing; the glazed nose is a bonus, but not a must.
- For East Germany it was the entry into the jet age: Interflug flew the Tu-134 from 1968 and used it until its last scheduled flight on April 30, 1991.
- In the West it disappeared early: stricter noise rules barred it from most Western European airports from 2002.
- Today it is a museum type: in Germany, former Interflug aircraft stand in places like Hermeskeil, plus examples in Sinsheim and Cottbus.
Contents
Profile
| Manufacturer | Tupolev design bureau; series production in Kharkiv |
|---|---|
| Role | Short- and medium-haul airliner with two rear-mounted engines (largely historic) |
| Basis | Development of the Tu-124 with the engines moved to the tail |
| ICAO type designator | T134 |
| First flight | July 29, 1963 |
| Scheduled service | from September 9, 1967 with Aeroflot (Moscow–Adler) |
| Built | around 850 |
| Engines | 2 × Soloviev D-30 (Tu-134A: second-series D-30 with thrust reversers) |
| Length | 34.95 m (Tu-134), 37.05 m (Tu-134A) |
| Wingspan | around 29.0 m |
| Height | around 9.0 m |
| Seats | 64–72 (Tu-134), 76–84 (Tu-134A), up to 80 (Tu-134B) |
| Cruising speed | around 850 km/h |
| Max. takeoff weight | around 47.6 t (Tu-134A) |
| Range | around 2,000 to 3,000 km, depending on version and payload |
| Operators (selection) | Aeroflot, Interflug, LOT, Malév, ČSA, Balkan, air forces of several countries (mostly historic) |
Identifying features
Is this really the aircraft type in front of you?
- Two engines on the sides of the rear fuselage, topped by a high T-tail
- Glazed nose tip with a navigator station on the Tu-134 and many Tu-134As; the Tu-134B and some A versions have a closed radar nose instead
- Long landing gear pods sticking out backward past the wing trailing edge – the typical Tupolev detail
- Strongly swept, low-mounted wing with boundary layer fences on the upper surface
- Slim, rather short fuselage about 35 to 37 m long – clearly smaller than the three-engine Tu-154
- No center engine and no S-duct inlet in the fin: just two engines, clearly separated
Updated: October 2026 – Two engines at the tail, a high T-tail, two long pods behind the wings and often a glazed nose like a bomber’s: that is the Tupolev Tu-134. For over two decades it was the workhorse on the Eastern Bloc’s short routes, and for the East German airline Interflug it was the very first jet. You haven’t seen one fly in Europe for many years, but in several German museums you can stand right in front of one. Here you learn how the Tu-134 came about, how to identify it with certainty and where to find one today.
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What is the Tu-134?
The Tu-134 is a twinjet short- and medium-haul airliner from the Soviet design bureau Tupolev. From the late 1960s it replaced the loud and thirsty Tu-104 and became the most widely used short-haul jet in the Soviet Union and its allies.
The impetus came from the West. The French Caravelle had shown how much quieter the cabin gets when the engines sit at the tail instead of on the wing. Tupolev applied this principle to the smaller Tu-124, which was itself derived from the Tu-104. Because rear engines shift the center of gravity backward, the horizontal stabilizer moved up onto the fin – and that is how the T-tail came about.
The first prototype flew on July 29, 1963. Scheduled service was still four years away, though: on September 9, 1967, Aeroflot started the first scheduled flight from Moscow to Adler on the Black Sea coast. The Tu-134 was built at the Kharkiv aircraft plant in what is now Ukraine; around 850 were produced in total. It was the first Soviet airliner to receive international certification to ICAO standards – important for export and for flights to the West.
The variants at a glance
The Tu-134 was developed further several times over the years. For spotters, three versions matter most, differing in fuselage length, seat count and nose.
| Version | Length | Seats | Nose | Special feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tu-134 | 34.95 m | 64–72 | glazed | First series, partly with a brake parachute instead of thrust reversers |
| Tu-134A | 37.05 m | 76–84 | glazed or radar nose | Longer fuselage, engines with thrust reversers, auxiliary power unit |
| Tu-134B | 37.05 m | up to 80 | radar nose | No navigator station anymore, more modern cockpit |
| Tu-134UBL | – | – | pointed bomber nose | Trainer for Tu-160 crews |
| Tu-134AK | – | – | varies by configuration | VIP and government version |
At a good two meters longer, the Tu-134A is the most common version. There were also numerous military offshoots: besides the Tu-134UBL for crews of the supersonic bomber Tu-160, Tu-22M crews trained on the Tu-134BSch. Other aircraft served as flying laboratories or VIP transports for governments.
The features that are enough to identify it
At first glance, the Tu-134 looks like many short-haul jets of the 1960s. Three observations still make the identification certain.
Check the tail
Two engines sit on the sides of the rear fuselage, with the horizontal stabilizer perched on top of the fin. There is no third engine and no inlet in the fin.
Look behind the wing
The main landing gear retracts backward into long, streamlined pods that extend past the wing trailing edge. Western rear-engine jets don’t have that.
Look at the nose
A glazed nose tip below the cockpit makes it unmistakable. If it’s missing, it can still be a Tu-134 – then a Tu-134B or an A version with a radar nose.
The combination of rear engines and landing gear pods is practically always enough. Whether you are looking at a Tu-134 or a Tu-134A is harder: the A version is about two meters longer and has correspondingly more windows. In a museum the registration helps, and often the version is also on the information board. How to read registrations in general is explained in the guide Understanding aircraft registrations.
Practical tip in the museum
Stand at an angle behind the wing root. From there you get the landing gear pod, rear engine and T-tail in one shot – the three features that define the type.
Tu-134, DC-9, One-Eleven or Tu-154?
In archive photos, the Tu-134 is often confused with Western contemporaries or with its bigger sister. The finder narrows it down with three questions.
Quick ID: jet with rear engines
Tupolev Tu-134
Two rear engines, landing gear pods and a glass nose are the classic Tu-134 look. Without the glass nose it can be a Tu-134B or an A version with a radar nose.
Tupolev Tu-154
Three engines and a clearly longer fuselage point to the Tu-154. It shares the landing gear pods and T-tail with the Tu-134.
Western twin like the DC-9, One-Eleven or F28
Without landing gear pods and without a glass nose, you are more likely looking at the DC-9, the BAC One-Eleven or the Fokker F28.
Soviet regional jets also deserve a second look. The Yak-40 and the Yak-42 have three engines at the rear and no landing gear pods. The Il-62 carries four rear engines and is a long-haul jet. How to classify vintage aircraft in general is covered in the guide Identifying vintage aircraft in the sky.
The Tu-134 at Interflug
For East Germany, the Tu-134 was a milestone. Interflug was one of the first export customers in 1968, together with LOT and Malév, and entered the age of jet aircraft with it. Until then, the propeller-driven Il-18 had carried the network. The fleet started with a few aircraft, grew strongly in the 1970s and at times comprised around 20 aircraft. Besides the base version, Interflug flew the longer Tu-134A.
The Tu-134 served mainly European capitals, plus destinations in the Middle East and North Africa. Charter flights to the Leipzig Trade Fair, which also came from West Germany, played a special role. Its home was Berlin-Schönefeld Airport, whose grounds are now part of Berlin Brandenburg Airport.
Until 1981, Interflug aircraft carried the prefix DM-, afterward DDR-. Within the fleet, the letters SC.. stood for the Tu-134, for example DDR-SCK. More on this system can be found in the article on the history of German aircraft registrations.
Not every Tu-134 in Interflug colors was Interflug
Transport Air Wing 44 of the NVA (East Germany’s army) also flew Tu-134s and used some of them in Interflug-style paint, for example for government flights. A DDR registration alone therefore doesn’t prove a scheduled flight. How to spot government aircraft today is shown in the guide Spotting government aircraft.
The history also includes dark chapters. On September 1, 1975, the Tu-134 DM-SCD, on a flight from Stuttgart, crashed in poor visibility shortly before Leipzig; the crew had descended below the decision height. 27 people died. How the airport has developed since then is shown on the page about Leipzig/Halle Airport.
On August 30, 1978, another Tu-134 made headlines: two East German citizens hijacked a Polish LOT aircraft on its way to Schönefeld and forced it to land in West Berlin at Tempelhof Airport. You can read more about the airport’s history in the article Tempelhof Airport.
After reunification, individual aircraft received West German D- registrations. The Tu-134 D-AOBC flew Interflug’s last scheduled flight on April 30, 1991 from Vienna to Berlin-Schönefeld – a fitting end for the type with which the airline had entered the jet age in 1968. The airline’s whole story is told in the article Interflug.
Your museum visits, collected
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Export and farewell
Besides Interflug, LOT, Malév, ČSA and Balkan Bulgarian Airlines also flew the Tu-134 on their European routes. By far the largest operator was Aeroflot; after the Soviet Union broke up, the aircraft were spread among many new airlines in the successor states, such as Belavia.
Western Europe lost the Tu-134 early. The comparatively loud D-30 engines no longer met the stricter noise rules, and from 2002 it was no longer allowed to serve most Western European airports. After a fatal accident in March 2007, Aeroflot announced its phase-out and retired the last Tu-134 on January 1, 2008. After the crash of a RusAir aircraft in 2011, the Russian government pushed for a quick retirement; the last civilian passenger flight in Russia took place in 2019.
Military examples stayed in service longer, among other things as trainers and transports. Overviews list North Korea’s Air Koryo as the last civilian airline with the Tu-134. Whether and how often an aircraft still takes off there is hard to verify reliably from the outside. The bigger picture is explained in the overview of Soviet airliners.
Photographing the Tu-134 in Russia and Belarus
Many of the remaining examples stand on military airfields or in countries with strict rules. What applies to photography in Russia and Belarus is explained in the article on photography bans in Russia and Belarus. Check the current travel advisories before every trip.
Where to see the Tu-134 today
For spotters in German-speaking countries, the Tu-134 is a museum type – and the selection is surprisingly large. After 1991, retired Interflug aircraft found takers among museums, associations and private owners.
| Location | Aircraft | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Flugausstellung Hermeskeil | Tu-134A DDR-SCK, ex Interflug | Outdoor grounds, easily accessible |
| Technik Museum Sinsheim | Tu-134 | Delivered dismantled from Manching in 1989 |
| Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus | Tu-134A, ex Aeroflot | In the museum since 2017, restoration planned |
| Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt | DDR-SCH, ex Interflug | Check accessibility in advance |
| Magdeburg airfield | DDR-SCB, ex Interflug | Check accessibility in advance |
| Aeropark Budapest (Hungary) | HA-LBE, ex Malév | Open-air museum right at the airport |
The Flugausstellung Hermeskeil shows the DDR-SCK, and the same museum also has an Il-18 – a nice double feature for fans of East German aviation. At the Technik Museum Sinsheim you can combine the Tu-134 with the Tu-144 on the hall roof. At the Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus it is the largest aircraft in the collection so far, which otherwise mostly shows military aircraft and helicopters of the NVA. You can find more collections in the overview Aviation museums in Germany.
If you travel abroad, the best destination is the Aeropark at Budapest Airport: the ex-Malév Tu-134 HA-LBE stands there between a Tu-154 and an Il-18, and depending on the runway direction in use, current approaches pass over the grounds.
Ready for your Tu-134 visit?
- I have checked the opening hours and accessibility of the aircraft.
- I know whether the aircraft stands outdoors or in a hall.
- I know the three features: rear engines with a T-tail, landing gear pods, glass or radar nose.
- I have brought a wide-angle lens in case the space around the aircraft is tight.
- I note the registration and version from the information board.
Photo tips for the Tu-134 in a museum
A museum aircraft holds still, but fences, neighboring aircraft and visitors still make the shot difficult. A few points help.
Emphasize the glass nose
If your aircraft has the glazed nose, it is the signature detail. A shot slightly from below with the cockpit and navigator’s station tells the Tupolev heritage at a glance.
Tail in profile
Engines and T-tail look strongest in side profile. A vantage point level with the rear fuselage shows the typical tail-heavy design.
Light from the front and side
The landing gear pods are often in shadow under the wing. Plan your visit so that the sun comes in low from the side.
When the light works at an outdoor site, you can calculate in advance – how that works is shown in the guide Planning the sun position for your photo spot.
Common mix-ups and how to rule them out
It points to the Tu-134 if …
- exactly two engines sit at the rear
- the horizontal stabilizer is perched on top of the fin
- long landing gear pods extend past the wing trailing edge
- the nose below the cockpit is glazed
Look more closely if …
- the nose is closed – then a Tu-134B, an A version with a radar nose or another type
- you want to tell a Tu-134 from a Tu-134A
- the aircraft is in military paint and has a pointed bomber nose – then perhaps a Tu-134UBL
Conclusion
The Tu-134 is the Soviet counterpart to the DC-9 and One-Eleven: a compact jet with rear engines, built for many short routes and rough conditions. With its glazed nose and landing gear pods, though, it unmistakably bears the Tupolev signature. With it, Interflug began the jet age in 1968, and with it the airline’s scheduled service ended in 1991. If you want to see one today, you plan a museum visit – and in Germany you have several destinations.
In short
Two rear engines, T-tail, landing gear pods behind the wing and often a glass nose: that is the Tu-134. Flying, it is history in Europe, but former Interflug aircraft like the DDR-SCK in Hermeskeil still make it easy for spotters in the DACH region to reach.
Summary
- The Tu-134 was created as a quieter, more modern successor to the Tu-104 and adopted the rear-engine layout that the Caravelle had pioneered.
- It was exported to almost every country of the former Eastern Bloc and shaped the European routes of Interflug, LOT, Malév, ČSA and Balkan for over two decades.
- Aeroflot retired its last Tu-134 in early 2008, and the last civilian passenger flight in Russia took place in 2019; military examples stayed in service longer.
- For spotters in the DACH region it is mostly a museum destination today, with several ex-Interflug aircraft in Germany.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Tu-134’s ICAO type designator?
The Tu-134 is filed as T134. In tracking services the code now shows up only very rarely, because hardly any aircraft are still flying – and if so, mostly outside Europe or in military service.
Why does the Tu-134 have a glazed nose?
Soviet aviation long relied on a dedicated navigator in the cockpit, who had a view forward and downward through the glazed nose. The concept comes from the Tu-104 and its bomber ancestor, the Tu-16. On the Tu-134B and some A versions the weather radar moved into a closed nose and the glazing was dropped.
How do I tell a Tu-134 from a Tu-154?
Count the engines: the Tu-134 has two at the rear, the Tu-154 has three – the third sits in the rear fuselage, with its inlet at the base of the vertical fin. The Tu-154 is also clearly longer at about 48 meters. Both have landing gear pods and a T-tail.
Since when did Interflug fly the Tu-134?
Interflug was one of the first export customers in 1968. The fleet grew considerably in the 1970s and at times comprised around 20 aircraft. Interflug’s last scheduled flight on April 30, 1991 from Vienna to Berlin-Schönefeld was flown by the Tu-134 D-AOBC.
Where can I see a Tu-134 in Germany today?
In a museum. The Flugausstellung Hermeskeil shows the Interflug Tu-134A DDR-SCK, the Technik Museum Sinsheim a Tu-134, and the Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus a former Aeroflot Tu-134A. More ex-Interflug aircraft stand in Finowfurt and at Magdeburg airfield, among other places. Check before your visit whether the aircraft is currently accessible.
Is the Tu-134 still flying today?
Only sporadically. Aeroflot retired its last aircraft in early 2008, and civilian passenger service in Russia ended in 2019. A few examples are still used by air forces, for instance as trainers for bomber crews. The last civilian airline with the Tu-134 is believed to be North Korea’s Air Koryo – there is hardly any reliable current operating data.
What is the Tu-134’s NATO reporting name?
NATO called it “Crusty”. As with all Soviet transport and passenger aircraft, the name starts with C.
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Related guides from the blog
- Interflug: East Germany’s airline and its fleet
- Soviet airliners: Tupolev, Ilyushin and Yakovlev at a glance
- Identifying vintage aircraft in the sky: Ju 52, DC-3, Constellation and warbirds
- Aviation museums in Germany: an overview with highlights for spotters
- From D-1 to today: the history of German aircraft registrations
- Spotting government aircraft: how to catch state jets without a flight plan
- Tempelhof Airport: from central airport to Tempelhofer Feld