Rostec head announces launch of MC-21 serial production in 2026

MOSCOW. Jan 24 (Interfax) - Serial production of the MC-21 passenger aircraft is expected to begin in 2026, Rostec head Sergei Chemezov told the press on Friday.

"We have yet to complete certification trials. Hopefully, we will finalize all [certification] flights this year, there are many flights to be made. Serial production will be launched next year," Chemezov said.

The comprehensive development program of the Russian aircraft industry schedules the beginning of MC-21 serial production for 2025. The deadlines have been repeatedly moved. Initially, the plane was an international project, yet foreign partners left in the wake of anti-Russian sanctions and the project required accelerated replacement of imported systems and component parts.

The MC-21 and Superjet 100 import substitution programs are nearing the flight test stage, the Rostec press service told Interfax. Serial supplies of the planes can only begin after "tests are fully performed, after reliability and safety are confirmed and after permission documents are obtained," it said.

"Nothing can be reduced here. All these processes have objective deadlines: if they are added, we get year 2026," a representative of the state corporation said.

The first recipient of the MC-21 should be Aeroflot, with which a firm contract for the supply of 18 such aircraft has been signed. Ivan Batanov, director of the company's network and revenue management department, said in December the company only expected their supply from 2026.