The development program for the MC-21 commercial jet has been delayed again from the start of serial production, which was previously scheduled for this year.
According to the CEO of Rostec, Russia’s state technology corporation, Sergey Chemezov, the narrow-body aircraft will enter production in 2026.
“We need to complete all the certification tests now. I hope we will make all the flights this year. Plenty of flights are there,” the chief executive told reporters last week. “Serial production will start then from next year,” Chemezov predicted.
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The MC-21 program was launched in 2007 with the goal of being a competitor to the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 in the global market. To this end, the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) sought agreements with several foreign suppliers to increase sales opportunities.
After Russia took over Crimea in 2014, the state-owned aerospace company became the target of trade sanctions that intensified in 2022 when a military invasion took over part of Ukraine.
During this period, UAC implemented a plan to replace Western components with local equivalents. Some of them, such as the composite wings, were resolved quickly, but avionics and engines continue to be a slow process.
The PD-14 turbofan has been undergoing testing for months, but has not yet been certified. Yakovlev, the company that took over the project from Irkut, is about to begin electronic certification tests of the Russified MC-21-310 variant.
Quite modern and capable, the MC-21 will be able to carry up to 211 passengers and replace aircraft such as the Airbus A321 in the fleet of Russian airlines and countries that maintain ties with the Putin government, but the dates of the first deliveries are still unknown.
