A second Tu-204-300 aircraft, which is re-equipped for the needs of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, has arrived at Chkalovsky airfield, the center’s press service said.

Aircraft Tupolev Tu-204-300 (Picture source: Andrey “A.I.” Sitnik)

"A second Tu-204-300 aircraft arrived at Chkalovsky airfield of the Russian Defense Ministry from Ulyanovsk at 15:59 pm on May 7. The Ilyushin Finance Co (IFK) handed it over to the unified aviation detachment of the Cosmonaut Training Center," the center said on its website.

The Cosmonaut Training Center has received two Tu-204-300 aircraft so far. The first bears the name of Soviet rocket designer Sergei Korolyov; the second one is named after cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin who was the first man in space. They will be able to transport up to 53 passengers. In future, they will be equipped with medical modules, which will enable crews to start rehabilitation onboard the aircraft.

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