The L-1011-1 was the first production model of the L-1011, designed for short and medium-range flights. The TriStar was also listed by the Coordinating Committee as embodying advanced technology banned from potential enemies, thus being a serious obstacle to the export deal. Development of their own Ilyushin Il-86 was delayed, so in mid 1970s the Soviets started negotiations to buy 30 TriStars and licence-produce up to 100 a year.The talks collapsed as US President Jimmy Carter made human rights a US policy factor.

The Soviet Union at that time lacked a wide-body airliner. Crucially for Lockheed, the fallout from the scandal included the loss of a contract worth in excess of $1-billion.

Tanaka was eventually tried and found guilty of violating foreign exchange control laws, but was not charged with bribery, a more serious criminal offense. Within Lockheed, board chairman Daniel Haughton and vice chairman and president Carl Kotchian resigned from their posts on 13 February 1976. The discovered scale to what has become known as the Lockheed bribery scandal led to the arrest of Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka as well as several other officials. In an effort to secure the Japanese market, Lockheed had secretly bribed several members of the Japanese government to subsidize ANA's purchase of L-1011s however this caused a significant scandal when the bribes were uncovered. operator of the type by acquiring many of the Eastern Air Lines examples when Eastern Air Lines went bankrupt, operating as many as 21 aircraft. Cathay Pacific eventually became the largest non-U.S. Designated the L-1011-500, the fuselage length was shortened by 14 feet to accommodate higher fuel loads.ĭelta Air Lines was the type's largest customer. Lockheed bribed the Japanese government to subsidize ANA's purchase of L-1011's, and the resulting political scandal led to the arrest of Prime Minister Tanaka Kakuei.Ī longer-range variant of the standard-length L-1011 was developed in the late 1970s. TWA withdrew its last TriStar from service in 1997. The aircraft's largest operator, Delta Air Lines, retired its TriStar fleet in 2001, replacing them with the Boeing 767-400ER.

Nevertheless, a number of airlines flew the TriStar, including Aer Lingus, Air Atlanta Icelandic, Air Canada, Air Lanka, All Nippon Airways, Arrow Air, British Airways, BWIA, Cathay Pacific, Court Line, Delta Air Lines, Eastern Airlines, Fine Air, Gulf Air, Hawaiian Airlines, Iberia Airlines, LTU, National Airlines, Pan Am, Peach Air, PSA, TAP Air Portugal Trans World Airlines, United Airlines (acquired in the Pan Am buyout), Royal Jordanian and Saudi Arabian Airlines.

L1011 glass cockpit