Certification of the fully import-substituted MC-21 aircraft has been postponed to the end of 2026. According to aviation experts, the delay is due not so much to the reduction of state programs as to technological complexity and a shortage of qualified personnel.
Five Systems Are Holding Back the Entire Project
The head of Rosaviatsiya, Dmitry Yadrov, noted that certification will be completed at the end of 2026, and in the meantime, it remains to replace five key systems — anti-icing, water-vacuum, collision avoidance, weather radar, and power supply.
Oleg Panteleev, Executive Director of the Aviaport agency, noted that the certification test program is "extensive and cannot be compressed."
If we didn't start flying six months ago, we won't be able to finish this year.
Panteleev added that the more ground tests and test flights are carried out, the lower the probability that some defect will not be detected precisely at the testing stage.
There are developments, but their refinement takes time — this is what is slowing down the project.
It's Not About the Money
Ilya Shatilin, editor-in-chief of the FrequentFlyers.ru portal, is confident that the postponement is not related to funding, but to the scale of the task.
Yadrov is talking about five systems in which there is no rocket science. This is more of a cautious and realistic forecast than uncertainty.
The difficulties are exacerbated by the overload of enterprises with defense orders and the consequences of the destruction of the industry in the 1990s.
If you don't promise the authorities, they will find someone who will.
Shatilin believes that expanding cooperation could help the project. For example, with Belarusian enterprises that have competencies in avionics and metal structures.
According to his estimate, the first aircraft will be received by airlines no earlier than 2027, and the promised rate of 72 aircraft per year will not be achieved until 2030.
Personnel Shortage and New Workshops
Panteleev also recalled that increasing production is impossible without increasing the number of workers.
Without increasing the number of employees in Irkutsk and among suppliers, this cannot be achieved.
Shatilin added that the industry needs thousands of engineers, assemblers, and composite specialists.
You can't replace them with migrants. These personnel need to be nurtured and prepared in advance.
The new workshop in Irkutsk will not be operational until 2029, and it should ensure the scaling of production. But, according to experts, this will no longer affect the pace of certification and the launch of mass production.
Earlier www1.ru reported that the MC-21 crew decided not to risk landing in strong winds during testing
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