Looking at the Soviet Union’s ill-fated Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic passenger transport aircraft, we see that during its short lifetime, it only flew once a week between Moscow Domodedovo Airport (DME) and Almaty International Airport (ALA) in Kazakhstan. Flying at an altitude of 52,000 feet while cruising at Mach 2, the Tupolev Tu-144 could cover the 1,919.5 mile route in just two hours.