The serial production of the MC-21 aircraft, which is made domestically, is anticipated to start in 2026. Rostec intends to finalize certification evaluations this year. Sergey Chemezov, the executive director of the state corporation, disclosed this information to journalists.
“We need to complete all certification tests now. I hope we will finish all the test flights this year. There are many flights to conduct. Starting next year, serial production will begin,” he said.
The announcement does not come as a surprise.
As per the Comprehensive Program for the Development of the Russian Aviation Industry, the MC-21 is scheduled to commence serial production in 2025, However, there have been repeated delays in the timeline. In 2025, a representative of Aeroflot stated that the initial deliveries of the MC-21 aircraft are expected to take place in 2026, which was the first indication of the delayed delivery.
But, there were other hints too. In February 2024, Sergei Chemezov, the director of Rostec, announced a delay in deliveries until 2025 or 2026.
The plane has a long history of delays.
Rostec companies developed the MC-21 family of medium-range passenger aircraft. The original plan was to use Russian PD-14 and American Pratt & Whitney engines in the production of the MC-21.
The MC-21-300, which is equipped with a foreign engine and wing, was awarded a basic-type certificate by the Federal Air Transport Agency at the end of 2021. The Aeroflot Group’s Rossiya Airlines was the receiver of the first four aircraft, which were anticipated to be delivered by the end of 2022. In 2022, the delivery schedules for the airliners were postponed to 2024 as a result of the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions in response to the events in Ukraine. It was assumed that all MC-21s produced for sale would be equipped with only PD-14.
The MC-21 is still not operational in the configuration that is intended for airline use. The first flight of the medium-range MC-21 aircraft with the domestic PD-14 engine, which is entirely import-substituted, is scheduled for March-April 2025. In November 2024, Anton Alikhanov, the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, remarked to Rossiya 24, “The PD-14 is already ready, certified, and we are on schedule here. At the beginning of next year, we will actually begin certification flights on our completely domestic PD-14, and at the end of March — beginning of April, flights will begin in the completely import-substituted version of the MC-21.”
During the same month, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin informed the Transport of Russia forum that the commencement of serial production of domestic passenger aircraft is almost ready.
Mishustin, in an exhaustive discussion of the matter, said, “It is important to launch mass production of all types of aircraft as quickly as possible, including the completely updated Superjets, as well as the Tu-214, Il-96, Il-114, and, for local routes, the Baikal aircraft.”
Mishustin explained that “large-scale work is currently in full swing to redesign components for the entire line of aircraft,” which includes “the development and creation of engines, a wide range of modern avionics, advanced materials, a huge number of units, assemblies, and other equipment, right down to the interior of the cabins.”
“This requires not only time but also the maximum concentration of all resources. No country has ever faced the need to overcome such a level of technological challenge in such a short time. And this is, in fact, a unique opportunity for our country, our science, our industry, for all of us. The Russian air fleet must acquire a qualitatively new look, based on its own technological solutions,” Mishustin explained.
The media reported in the spring of 2024 that the MC-21 became 5.75 tons heavier after replacing foreign materials. This substantially reduces the flight range and, according to some information, places the airliner in the short-haul category. However, First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov discussed the concept of developing a shorter version of the MC-21. This modification will enable airlines to operate the aircraft more efficiently while also considering the resulting weight characteristics. The MC-21-210’s shortened variant would have the capacity to accommodate 160 to 170 passengers. Rostec is required to submit design documentation that verifies the technical feasibility of the project to develop a shortened version of the MC-21 aircraft by December 31, 2025.
Denis Manturov, the First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, had previously said that the MC-21 could be equipped with a fuselage that is one section shorter. The declared flight range will be achievable with this aircraft configuration, which will accommodate the weight characteristics following import substitution.
The design phase of this version has already begun. The Russian Federation’s Cabinet of Ministers has approved a resolution that lets the state-owned company Rostec get money to work on creating technical documentation for the draft and technical designs of the MC-21 aircraft’s shorter version. The funding for the development of a draft design for a shortened variant of the MC-21 can commence as a result of the resolution. The resolution does not specify the value of the subsidy. It is widely known that 1.94 billion rubles were allocated last year for the development of the proposed design for the 2024–2025 period.
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