History of aviation – September 15, 1956. The Russian national airline Aeroflot welcomes a new aircraft into its fleet on Saturday September 15, 1956. It is a commercial aircraft with a wide pressurized fuselage, namely the Tupolev 104 which made its very first flight on June 17, 1955. The latter has the particularity of being the first aircraft, whose purpose is the transport of people, to be equipped with jet engines.
The Tupolev 104 has a certain relationship with the Tupolev 16, which for its part is a military aircraft, i.e. a bomber, both sharing several elements: first of all, the glazed nose but also the landing gear, the tail , the wings or even the engines.
It will allow Aeroflot to develop, the plane being able to carry more passengers and having a greater range. For its entry into service, the Tupolev 104 will provide the link between Moscow and Irkutsk, via Omsk.
In addition to Aeroflot, the Czechoslovakian airline CSA Czech Airlines will also adopt this model, purchasing no fewer than six copies.
