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According to Associated Press, Russia‘s transport agency ordered the country’s airlines to stop using Tu-154B planes until the cause of a passenger jet fire and explosion that killed three people is determined.
A spokesman for the Rostransnadzor agency, Sergei Romanchev, said airlines must obey the order. It was not immediately clear how many of the planes are in service in Russia.
The Tu-154B is one variant of the Tu-154 model, which has been in service since the early 1970s. The fire, which injured 43 people, began as the plane carrying 124 people was taxiing for takeoff at the airport in Surgut, about 1,350 miles east of Moscow. Frightened passengers clawed their way through the smoke-filled cabin and most managed to escape before the explosion.
Investigators have found the plane’s flight recorders and taken fuel samples and documents from the regional airline, Kogalymavia, that used the plane.
The Tu-154, similar to the Boeing 727, has three engines mounted on the rear of the plane. It has been in wide use on Russian internal flights and used extensively in other countries, including Iran and former Soviet republics.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales. She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
