Tupolev TU-154M Aeronica "Momotombo"

Product description

High-quality metal model of the Tupolev TU-154M "Momotombo" passenger plane from Aeronica. The model is detailed and based on a real model.

The political and revolutionary unrest that gripped Nicaragua during the Cold War also significantly affected commercial aviation in the country. The Somoza family, which had ruled the Central American nation for decades, was ousted by the Sandinista revolutionaries in 1979. This also led to the closure of the country's flag carrier, LANICA, which was majority-owned by the ruling Somoza family. The junta then in power created Aerolíneas Nicaraguenses S.A., rebranded as Aeronica, as its successor in 1981. Due to an international embargo that made it increasingly impossible to maintain LANICA's Boeing fleet due to a lack of spare parts, the airline turned to Soviet-made aircraft to bolster its international routes. The new factory-built TU-154M, named after one of the country's largest volcanoes, Momotombo, arrived in Managua on December 20, 1989. For just over two years, it was a frequent visitor to Mexico City, as well as other cities in Latin America. After the end of the civil war and the re-elections in 1992, which brought with them yet another political and economic change, the airline was closed. The "Momotombo", with its unusual and colorful livery, was parked at Managua International Airport before finally being purchased by Russia's Omsk in 1997 and later sold again to Mahan Air of Iran, where it saw use until at least 2005.