a group of people standing next to a plane
Antonov 140 Motor Sich

What’s it like to fly the Antonov 140?

The Antonov An-140 is a turboprop regional airliner, designed by the Antonov ASTC bureau as a successor to the Antonov An-24, with extended cargo capacity and the ability to use unprepared airstrips.

Since its introduction in 2002 (out of 35 built), the Antonov An-140 has been involved in five accidents and incidents, including four hull-loss accidents, resulting in 111 occupant fatalities. Of the aircraft lost, three were HESA IrAn-140 aircraft built in Iran from knock-down kits supplied by Antonov.

What makes it special is that, there is now just 1 An-140 in commercial airline service today. It is with Motor Sich Airlines which is based in Zaporizhia, Ukraine. The airline frequently changed this aircraft deployment due to supply/demand which makes it very difficult to pin down to its schedule and buy a ticket to fly.

Our group originally booked An-140 flights from Zaporizhia to Kiev as part of the Ukraine Grand Aviation Tour but the plane type changed to An-24 last minute. A few of us really wanted to fly once on the An-140, we bought last minute ticket to Minsk from Zaporizhia.

Here is a picture report of what's it like to fly on the An-140.

a group of people standing next to a plane a plane with propeller on the side a man standing in front of an airplane a plane on the tarmac

Once entered the plane via rear door, passenger can store trolley bags into a baggage compartment.

a room with luggage and coats on a swinger

The An-140 has a capacity of 52 passengers, we have about 40 passengers to Minsk on our flight. (Most of them transit via Minsk to Russia, since there are no direct airlinks between Ukraine and Russia nowadays)

a group of people sitting in an airplane
The An-140 is powered by 2 × Klimov TV3-117VMA-SBM1 turboprops, 1,838 kW (2,466 shp) each
The An-140 is powered by 2 × Klimov TV3-117VMA-SBM1 turboprops, 1,838 kW (2,466 shp) each
Airport Terminal of Zaporizhia
Airport Terminal of Zaporizhia

We tookoff on-time at 6:45am and flying low lover the vast field of Ukraine.

After 20 minutes the clear sky paved away to overcast sky. The An-140 cruised at around 20,000 feet which was below the clouds. I could hear different pitch of the turboprop engines from time to time and the plane vibrated a fair bit.

The plane was cruising fairly steady despite in heavy cloud coverage area. The vibration was slightly more than western built turboprop. The engine noise was fairly loud and substantial.

The photo below is made from Row 4A.

a propeller of an airplane a propeller of an airplane  
a close up of a panel with lights and buttons

A simple snack, tea/coffee is served on this 2 hours 15 minutes sector. There is only one flight attendant on-board.

a hamburger in a plastic wrap a woman serving food on an airplane

The best seat on the Motor Sich An-140 is row 2, which is an exit row with more leg room.

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Row 1 feature reverse facing seating, like the ATR-42.two men sitting in a plane a man sitting in a chair in a plane

Galley is in the rear of the plane
Galley is in the rear of the plane

a door with a sign on it a toilet and sink in a bathroom

We landed at Minsk on-time. It was a fairly ordinary flight but the thrill of bagging a rare type overwhelm everything else! We were allowed to visit cockpit before rushed off from the remote stand by bus to terminal at Minsk.

Antonov 140 cockpit
Antonov 140 cockpit
Antonov 140 cockpit
Antonov 140 cockpit
Antonov 140 cockpit
Antonov 140 cockpit

a row of seats in an airplane

For those who are really interested to fly on this rare little turboprop, I suggest you make a trip to Zaporizhia and ask Motor Sich office about the flight plan.

You can find her flights on FlightRadar24 here.

 

Sam’s Travel Hacks

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a screenshot of a website
As a frequent flier, I recommend book flights and compare prices on Skyscanner and JustFly for the best deals on the internet. We have put together many useful travel tips and airfare promotions in my Smart Travel section to guide you travel in more luxury with lower price!