On February 2, 2024, the Russian airline Red Wings put a Tupolev Tu-64518, which had been parked for a long time, back into scheduled service with the RA-214. First the jet was transferred to Sochi.
Red Wings has operated aircraft of this type in the past. However, people were not at all satisfied with these, so they were gradually phased out and replaced by western models. Now eleven Tu-214s, which have been in so-called long-time storage for a long time, have been made fit for flight again on the orders of the Russian government.
RA-64518 is the first unit to return to regular service. Red Wings will receive some copies due to the fact that they already have experience with this pattern. These should also be used on international routes.