Mass production of the domestic MC-21 passenger aircraft is being postponed again, now to 2026. This was announced by the head of Rostec, Sergei Chemezov.
Initially, it was planned that the first six production aircraft with the domestic PD-14 engine would be delivered to customers in 2024. However, the deadlines were later postponed by 1–2 years due to sanctions from Western countries.
Developers of individual systems and components faced difficulties in the process of testing new products, as a result, the experienced aircraft, on which flight tests of domestic equipment will take place, are still standing at the factories in an incomplete form.
Aviation expert Oleg Panteleev noted that the postponement to 2026 is a fait accompli, since the unavailability of a number of component products prevents the certification of new aircraft. He also noted that mass production of the MC-21 has already begun, since there is a "production backlog" at the factories.
MC-21 is a new generation medium-range passenger aircraft, accommodating from 163 to 211 passengers, which is assembled at the Irkutsk Aviation Plant. The first flight took place on May 28, 2017, and on December 15, 2020, the aircraft made its first flight with the Russian PD-14 engine.
Earlier www1.ru reported that МС-21-310 will make its first flight in April, but so far virtually.
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