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- Take-off course: four production MC-21s will go on flight tests before the end of the year
Take-off course: four production MC-21s will go on flight tests before the end of the year
The Irkutsk Aircraft Factory is preparing four serial MC-21-310 aircraft for flight tests, and it is planned to increase the production of aircraft to 36 aircraft per year. Currently, 18 machines are in production, and the new contract with "Aeroflot" will ensure the utilization of the enterprise until 2032, said Andrey Soinov, CEO of IAZA. The plant has no plans to increase the pace further, but it intends to expand its production competencies, in particular, to completely transfer aircraft painting to its own site. What other tasks the company faces and how feasible its plans are are described in the "Izvestia" material.
How many MS-21s are in production?
The five-hour flight from Moscow to Irkutsk on the MC-21 went almost unnoticed — experienced UAC test pilots were at the helm.
— How do you like the plane? I asked one of my fellow journalists, who tested this car for the first time.
"I slept well,— he replied.
The MC-21 medium-haul passenger aircraft with Russian-made components and systems at the Irkutsk Aviation Plant, a branch of PJSC "Yakovlev" United Aviation Corporation (UAC) Rostec
Indeed, the passenger compartment of the MS-21 feels quite spacious. Its width is about 3.81 m, compared to about 3.70 m for the Airbus A320neo/A321neo and 3.54 m for the Boeing 737 MAX. Thus, the cabin of a Russian aircraft is about 11 cm (3%) wider than that of an Airbus, and 27 cm (8%) wider than that of a Boeing 737. In practice, this allows you to make a more spacious aisle and/or install slightly wider chairs with the same 3+3 layout. At the same time, the specific dimensions of the seats and aisle depend on the layout chosen by the airline.
The windows of the MS-21 are also larger. At the same time, during the flight, the ears are practically not blocked. ""So far," "it has been possible to test a non-import-substituted version of the aircraft with American Pratt & Whitney engines, however, the Irkutsk Aviation Plant (IAZ, a branch of PJSC Yakovlev, part of the Rostec State Corporation UAC) is already actively working on the transition to a fully Russian configuration.
As Andrey Soinov, its CEO, told reporters who visited the IAZ, the first serial MC-21 has already flown. The second aircraft is at the flight test station, where specialists are still conducting ground checks of its systems. The first flight is expected at the end of October. The next important stage is the third serial board. It is planned to transfer it to the flight test station on September 28. Another flight will leave there in October. Thus, by the end of the year, four serial MC-21s will be at the plant's test station at different stages of preparation, he added.
Andrey Soinov, General Director of the Irkutsk Aircraft Factory (on the left in the foreground), after testing the first production fully import-substituted MC-21-310 aircraft, which flew from the airfield of "Yakovlev" branch of PJSC Irkutsk Aviation Plant"
The tests, in fact, cease to be work with single aircraft: now they will take place in parallel on several production machines at once.
At the same time, the plant is preparing to increase production. Currently, 18 MS-21s are at various stages of assembly. The delivery plan provides for the transfer of eight aircraft to "Aeroflot" in 2027 and ten more in 2028. Then the pace should increase significantly: to 14 cars in 2029, 18 in 2030, 24 in 2031 and 34 in 2032.
"" In total," "Rostec" and "Aeroflot" signed a new contract on September 18, 2026, provides for the supply of 90 aircraft. Taking into account the previously concluded agreements, the total number of MS-21 aircraft ordered by the national carrier has reached 108.
It is this schedule that will become one of the main tests for the production system of the Irkutsk Aircraft Factory. The company claims to be able to produce up to 36 aircraft per year, but this will require expanding individual production facilities and eliminating existing bottlenecks, said the head of IAZa.
In particular, the investment program provides for the purchase of additional equipment for mechanical processing, as well as blank-stamping production, said Andrey Soinov. According to him, earlier the implementation of the investment program faced delays in financing, but the necessary decisions at the government level have already been taken.
At the same time, the plant intends to increase production gradually. Stable and uniform loading of production is of fundamental importance for maintaining productivity, quality and cost reduction, emphasized Andrey Soinov.
A pipeline instead of a single assembly
One of the main tasks of IAZA is to ensure the rhythmic production. To do this, the company is rebuilding not only its own facilities, but also its interaction with suppliers. In particular, a logistics center has been launched, where components for several aircraft are stored at once.
The factory is also implementing a flow-based assembly organization: workstations specialize in certain operations, and the necessary components must arrive by the time they are used.
This approach makes it possible to reduce labor intensity and identify problems in production faster. At the same time, the plant intends to retain the ability to assemble different versions of the MS-21 on the same line. This is especially important in connection with the preparation of a shortened modification — MS-21-210.
According to the CEO of IAZ, the company aims to lift the experienced MC-21-210 into the air in August 2028. Initially, the aircraft will be used for testing and certification, after which the modification is planned to be put into mass production.
They will not create a separate pipeline for the shortened version. The MS-21-210 is going to be assembled on the same production line as the basic modification. Thus, the total planned production of up to 36 aircraft per year will include both versions of the MC-21.
New competencies of IAZa
The factory is simultaneously expanding its production competencies. IAZ plans to master the painting of civil aircraft. The technology is currently being tested on the AN-24. In the future, the company intends to paint the import-substituted SSJ-100, after which it expects to proceed to such work on production civil aircraft.
Expansion of production will require an increase in staff. According to Andrey Soinov, about 170 new employees have already joined the company, and the overall plan provides for the recruitment of about 500 people.
Some of the specialists are graduates of a specialized college. Other employees are trained directly at the factory using a mentoring system. Depending on the specialty, training and adaptation take from four to six months, said Andrey Soinov.
Exports after 2032
The new contract with "Aeroflot" actually ensures the production capacity of the enterprise for the coming years. In the future, IAZ does not exclude export supplies. Specific foreign customers have not yet been named. The company only talks about presentations of the aircraft's capabilities to potential partners from friendly countries.
At the same time, the plant's management emphasizes that it does not plan to dramatically increase capacity solely based on potential demand. According to IAZ, stable loading and a predictable release rhythm are more important for industrial production.
The next stage, 2026-2027— should show how quickly the first production machines will be able to move from testing to delivery. In the coming years, it will be determined whether the plant will be able to turn the first batches into sustainable mass production.
In parallel with the tests of production machines, the MC-21 prototypes undergo certification procedures. After their completion, the aircraft can be transferred to the customer. The company does not comment on specific deadlines. Earlier, the head of the Federal Air Transport Agency, Dmitry Yadrov, noted that the aircraft should complete all these procedures by the middle of 2027.
The main issues are demand and financing
Experts consider plans to produce up to 36 MC-21 aircraft per year to be achievable. The production facilities of the Irkutsk Aircraft Factory were initially created with this volume in mind.
— Production in the workshops as a whole is based on a series of 36 aircraft. There are practically no bottlenecks directly at the plant," says Roman Gusarov, the editor—in-chief of the " <url>" portal, aviation expert.
At the same time, the entire production chain will have to increase output. Hundreds of suppliers are involved in the creation of the MC-21, and it is their willingness to increase volumes that may become one of the key constraints, the expert noted.
At the same time, long-term contracts give industry enterprises the opportunity to invest in expanding production, Roman Gusarov believes.
"A major contract with Aeroflot has a multiplier effect on the aircraft manufacturing company itself and all its related companies," the expert noted.
Will the production cover the demand for airplanes in the Russian Federation
However, the current production plan may not be sufficient to completely upgrade the Russian fleet. According to Roman Gusarov, about 700 domestic aircraft may be needed in the next 10-15 years alone to replace existing mainline aircraft. With an increase in passenger traffic, the demand may be even higher.
Oleg Panteleev, Executive Director of the "Aviport" agency, attributes the potential demand to the task of increasing passenger traffic to 150 million people per year.
"At least a thousand medium—haul aircraft of various dimensions will be required to ensure such passenger traffic," the expert noted.
Aircraft construction requires significant investments, while civil transportation remains a relatively low-margin business, so experts consider government support necessary both for the production of aircraft and for their initial operation.
"Aircraft manufacturers will be able to build as many planes as they can finance, but the government is currently looking for mechanisms to make financing available," Oleg Panteleev said.
In addition to direct budget financing and the discussed levy on air passengers, it has not yet been possible to find fundamentally new support mechanisms, the expert added.
— The second component affecting money is the growth of household incomes. In any case, tourists traveling to warmer climes form the basis of passenger transportation for Russian airlines today. Accordingly, either the resorts of the Black Sea coast, Turkey, or other affordable and relatively inexpensive resorts will be in demand," the expert noted.
For airlines, the transition to a new type of aircraft will be particularly costly: it will require staff training, technical infrastructure creation, and spare parts inventory.
— When a company develops a new type of aircraft, it is always unprofitable, and unprofitable for quite a long time, — said Roman Gusarov.
Therefore, the discussed additional support mechanisms, including a possible passenger fee, can to some extent compensate airlines for some of these costs, the expert believes.
At the same time, additional fees can affect the demand for air tickets, Oleg Panteleev believes.
"Anyway, either passengers will have to pay as passengers, or the same passengers will have to pay as taxpayers," the expert noted.
Where will the first MS-21s fly?
Sergey Alexandrovsky, the head of "Aeroflot", noted in September that the MC-21 could be operated on short routes, where it is easier to provide a backup aircraft and operational technical support. Among such destinations, he named Moscow — St. Petersburg, Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow — Kazan and possibly other short flights.
Russian President Vladimir Putin participates via video link in the signing of an agreement for the supply of import-substituted Russian MC-21-310 aircraft
According to the head of the airline, there are no restrictions for the international operation of the MC-21. However, initially the aircraft will operate flights on domestic routes, and then the geography of their use is planned to expand as they gain operational experience.
Oleg Panteleev considers it logical to start with relatively short routes, where it is easier to organize technical support.
"Airlines prefer to operate on relatively short lines and near technical centers, where any malfunctions can be quickly fixed,— Oleg Panteleev noted.
In terms of range, the MC-21-310 is capable of covering from 80 to 90% of the routes on which narrow-body aircraft are used today, the expert added.
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