On the Wings of Promises: Why the Release of MC-21, SJ-100, and Il-114 Aircraft is Delayed

Russia has become the only country in the world that independently produces all the components for its aircraft, as noted by First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov at a recent economic forum in Vladivostok.

It is impossible not to recall the experience of the USSR, where designers exclusively independently created civil aircraft and put them on the assembly line in terms that are impossible to imagine today even in the wildest fantasies.

Promising to Promise

The promises of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to launch the MC-21 medium-range airliner, which was planned to be put on the assembly line back in 2016, are forcing air carriers to change their aircraft delivery plans.

For example, Aeroflot recently cut its fleet import substitution program by 70%. Now, until 2030, the company expects to receive 108 MC-21 aircraft, General Director Sergei Alexandrovsky said the other day. Apparently, the airline is not yet hoping to purchase other domestic aircraft.

What We Have Today

From the beginning of 2022 to August 2025, 13 new domestic aircraft were delivered to airlines: one Tu-214 and 12 Superjets. The production of SJ-100, MC-21, and Il-114 is now promised to begin in 2026, that is, two years later than the planned date.

In the MC-21, it was necessary to update and import-substitute about half of the components, in the Superjet - 90%.

As for the Il-114, it is unlikely that anyone will undertake to explain the reasons for the sad fate of the turboprop aircraft, developed almost 40 years ago. Like the An-24, it is adapted for operation in difficult conditions, including arctic frosts and unpaved runways.

Process, Not Result

The answer, according to industry analysts, lies on the surface. Developers are now more interested in the process itself, and not in obtaining the final result. Hence the planned unprofitability of civil aircraft construction, while in the rest of the world this industry brings very decent budget revenues and profits.

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