Magavia | 1983-1990 | Tupolev Tu-154M

In the early 1980s, Magavia took delivery of the lastest version of Tupolev's rugged tri-jet airliner - the Tu-154M. The new version replaced the airline's older B models and enabled new routes to be opened to more Western and Middle Eastern countries. With the fall of the Iron Curtain in the late 1980s, Magavia began introducing Western-built aircraft to replace its inefficient Soviet-era airliners. However, the Tu-154s were retained in the fleet until 2000 due to their usefulness. The retirement of Magavia's last Tu-154M marked the end of Russian-built types with the airline until the introduction of the Sukhoi Superjet in the next decade.