Page 60 - World Airnews Magazine November 2020

NEWS DIGITAL

TUPOLEV TU-204 VS BOEING 757

By Nicholas Cummins

Is the Tu-204 a replication of
the Boeing 757?
The Boeing 757 came to the
passenger market for Eastern
Air Lines on January 1, 1983.
The Tu-204 would not come
for another six years until
1989. Both are twin-engine
narrowbody aircraft that
operate roughly the same
number of passengers and
range, although when it comes
to market success, the 757
stands heads and shoulders
above its imitator.
We can’t say for sure if
designers really just took a By Dmitry Zherdin - http://www.airliners.net/photo/Russia---Air/
photo of the 757 and traced it Tupolev-Tu-214ON/1967085/L/, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.
(the aircraft is supposed to be wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16175567
a successor to the trijet medi-
um-range Tupolev Tu-154) but
the similarities are uncanny.
Although we do need to point
out that the last Boeing 757
was delivered in 2005 while
the Tu-204 is still technically
available to buy today.
But just how similar are
they? Let’s compare the two
aircraft in passengers and
range.

PASSENGERS
There have been a lot of
versions of the Tu-204 and only
two passenger varients of the
Boeing 757. Thus any numbers
provided by the Tu-204 camp
will be a range rather than a
fixed number.
The Boeing 757 had two Icelandair Boeing 757-200 on final approach
versions:
• Boeing 757-200 that the Tu-204-100 and -120 had 190 the same length:
could seat 200 passengers, with passengers in one class or 172 pas- • 757-200 is 155 ft 3 in / 47.3 m long
12 in a 1980s first class and 188 sengers in two classes. It could carry • Tu-204-100 is (151 ft 5 in) / 46.14 m
in economy. If all economy, 228 up to 210 maximum passengers. long
passengers, and an exit limit of 239 • The most recent version, the Tu-
passengers. 204SM could carry 194 passengers
• Boeing 757-300 that could seat 243 in one class, or 176 in two classes, RANGE
passengers in two classes, with 12 with an exit limit of 215. When it comes to range, this is where the
in first class and 231 passengers in As we can see, the Boeing 757, right out Boeing 757 excels.
economy. If all-economy, it would of the gate, can carry more passengers. • Boeing 757-200 has a range of 3,915
seat 280 and 295 maximum if Even accounting for years of development nmi / 7,250 km
crammed with tiny seats. between the two types of aircraft, the Tu- • Boeing 757-300 has a range of 3,400
Compared to the Tu-204: 204 doesn’t transport as many. Especially nmi / 6,295 km
• The first version of the aircraft, considering that both planes are roughly The Tu-204 on the other hand:

World Airnews | November Extra 2020
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