The accumulated competencies in Russia for servicing Western Boeing airliners will not solve the problem of supporting the new MC-21-310. Separate personnel will need to be trained for them, said aviation expert Roman Gusarov.
According to him, technical staff must first study a huge amount of material, which will be new for engineers. Retraining already qualified specialists can take months.
Let's say a carrier currently uses Boeing, and their maintenance involves personnel who only work with them. The MC-21 also requires separate certified personnel.
Gusarov added that training could be organized at the Irkutsk Aviation Plant or at the Yakovlev test complex in Zhukovsky.
Recently, IAZ completed the ground testing phase of the first production MC-21 with new carbon brakes. However, the aircraft will still not receive its type certificate until the end of 2026.