Russian airline Alrosa flew the last Tupolev Tu-154 commercial service yesterday, between the cities of Mirniy (the Siberian mining town where Alrosa is based and home to one of the most spectacular open-pit mines in the world) and Novosibirsk, also in Siberia.

The Alrosa airline is part of the diamond mining group of the same name, but operates as a regular airline (several large industrial and mining groups operates their own airlines in Russia, which are open to the general public too) across Russia.

I had the chance to see some of Alrosa’s Tu-154s during a planespotting session organized by Moscow’s Domodedovo airport some years ago (hence the image above, note that the Tu-154 is still sporting Alrosa’s previous livery).

Besides getting a new image and website, Alrosa had recently transitioned also to an all-Western built fleet of Boeing 737-700 and -800 and has also Russian-made MC-21 and Superjets (although not clear whether these are meant to replace the Boeings)

As I outlined in this CNN article about vintage airliners you can still fly. There are still a number of Tu-154s around, but mostly with government organizations and the military. Air Koryo of North Korea used to operate the type as well, at least until quite recently.

Russian airline UTair retired its last Tu-154 in 2013. Belavia, the national airline of Belarus, kept them flying a bit longer, although by 2016 it was mainly operating special flights for Russian aviation bloggers!

Surprisingly, the last Tu-154 was built as late as 2013! (most likely the assembly line was kept open not for commercial reasons, but to retain the plane making capabilities)

And, by the way, if you are interested in vintage Soviet-made airliners, I recommend you check my recent podcast conversation with Maria Karmanova, a Siberian mathematician who is restoring an old Tu-104 and who occasionally pilots Tu-154s in a simulator.

But, anyway, I leave you here with a video of Alrosa’s last Tu-154M:

Last commercial Tu-154 flight in Russia