Manturov spoke about the direct competition of the MC-21 aircraft with the Airbus A320

The MC-21 aircraft will become a direct competitor to the European Airbus A320. This was announced on June 3 by Denis Manturov, First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, in an interview with the Kommersant newspaper.

"The aircraft will be a direct competitor to the A320, this version fully fits into the characteristics required by our aviation carrier," he said.

According to Manturov, the aircraft will receive a shortened version after 2028, and the new modification will be shorter than the base one by two sections.

The Russian Deputy Prime Minister clarified that several types of aircraft are currently undergoing certification, including the Superjet, Il—114, MC-21, as well as Ka-62, Ansat, Mi-34 and Mi-171A3 helicopters. At the same time, it is planned to first obtain a certificate for the IL-114, then for the Superjet, after that for several helicopters and then for the MC-21.

The head of Rostec, Sergey Chemezov, said on May 7 that the state corporation expects to produce 36 MC-21 aircraft by 2030. According to him, about a third of the certification flights have been completed. Rostec also expects to complete the certification flights of the MS-21 in the first quarter of 2027, and after that it is planned to start mass production.