Aircraft Type
Yakovlev Yak-42 “Soviet Workhorse”
The Yakovlev Yak-42 is a Soviet-era narrow-body passenger aircraft that served as a crucial medium-haul airliner for Aeroflot and other Soviet bloc airlines during the 1970s and 1980s, bridging the gap between smaller regional aircraft and larger long-haul planes.
Representing the Soviet Union's domestic commercial aviation capabilities during the Cold War era, the Yak-42 was a significant technological achievement in Soviet aerospace engineering and passenger transport
The Yak-42 was one of the first Soviet commercial aircraft designed with improved aerodynamics and fuel efficiency, which helped it compete with Western aircraft designs of the same period
Cabin Environment
How the Yakovlev Yak-42 affects jetlag recovery
Technical Specifications
Dimensions
36.38 m
Length
34.79 m
Wingspan
9.83 m
Height
Performance
4,000 km
Range
810 km/h
Cruise Speed
3× Lotarev D-36 turbofan
Engines
How It Compares
vs. Tupolev Tu-134
✓Longer range (4000 km vs 3000 km)
✗Slightly smaller passenger capacity
vs. Boeing 737-200
✓Comparable Russian domestic market design
✗Less advanced aerodynamics and fuel efficiency
vs. Fokker 100
✓Similar passenger capacity
✗Shorter range and less robust for harsh conditions