The newest Russian passenger airliner MC-21 is one step away from serial production, but the Irkutsk Aviation Plant still has a lot to do on the way to its cherished goal, explained aviation expert Roman Gusarov.
According to him, to assemble the planned 36 aircraft per year, it is necessary to make 15 thousand related enterprises across the country work in a single rhythm.
Therefore, it will take two to three years to reach 36 units. And this is the planned pace, these are the volumes that the plant in Irkutsk is already ready for. Its capacities are prepared for these production rates, but it will take about three years to ramp them up.
While the MC-21 is testing PD-14 engines on the ground, the Irkutsk Aviation Plant is simultaneously preparing sites for the production of new aircraft. The publication "Tekhnosfera Rossiya" noted that at least three more aircraft will be built there by the end of the year.
The United Aircraft Corporation plans to increase aircraft production by 30%.