Amid Western sanctions following the military invasion of Ukraine, the Russian government has been looking for domestic alternatives to restore commercial aircraft production.
The main aircraft in this regard is the MC-21, a narrow-body jet with technology similar to the Boeing 737 Max and the Airbus A320neo.
Equipped with PW GTF engines and composite wings, the Yakovlev MC-21-300 was supposed to enter service some time ago, but embargoes forced the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) to replace all Western components.
The program ended up being delayed and the long time until the production rate is sufficient to meet domestic demand forced UAC to look for a short-term solution, the Tu-214.
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A type of Russian Boeing 757, the Tupolev Tu-204 emerged in the late 1980s and first flew in January 1989. About a hundred of these 210-seat jets have been completed, including the Tu-214 variant, which was built by KAPO in Kazan and features an extra door on the left side.
The effort to put the Tu-214 back into production has been growing, and Tupolev announced last week that it will establish an “Innovation Design Center” that will be responsible for upgrading the aircraft.
The manufacturer is recruiting design and engineering experts for what it called “the unique challenge of modernizing the Tu-214 medium-haul passenger airliner.”
“The innovation center will become a unique factory of thought,” Tupolev said. We hope that new innovative ideas will allow us to improve our product, increase production efficiency and come closer to creating the ideal version of our aircraft,” said Konstantin Timofeev, CEO of Tupolev.
New orders
As it looks for ways to upgrade the aircraft, which entered service in the 1990s, UAC has announced new deals for the Tu-214.
Last week, S7 Airlines signed a Memorandum of Understanding to purchase 100 Tu-214 jets.
The details are yet to be decided, but the timetable foresees an initial deal for 10 jets by the end of the year, and another 90 aircraft with specifications requested by S7.
On the other hand, Aeroflot, Russia’s largest airline, has reportedly gone to court with UAC over a change in a large order announced last year, which included the Tu-214.
The carrier, however, has reportedly changed its mind and ordered only the MC-21.
