The first production import-substituted MC-21-310 aircraft has been transferred from the final assembly shop to the flight test division of the Irkutsk Aviation Plant. This opens the next stage of preparing the airliner for certification and future delivery to the customer.
The aircraft's relocation will allow for an earlier start to a complex of onboard system tests conducted at the flight test division's site. Specialists will need to perform checks stipulated by the serial aircraft testing program, as well as refine procedures for preparing equipment for transfer to operators.
The delivery of the first production MC-21-310 to the customer will be possible after the completion of certification tests and obtaining approval for changes to the type certificate.
The Irkutsk Aviation Plant continues to simultaneously conduct serial production and the certification program for the import-substituted version of the aircraft. The company reported that the transfer of the first production aircraft to the flight test division frees up space for the next aircraft on the final assembly line and helps accelerate the production cycle.
According to the enterprise, the production rates of the MC-21-310 are planned to be consistently increased. In the future, the plant intends to reach a production level of up to 36 aircraft per year.