Aeroflot expects to receive 90 MC-21 aircraft under 2nd contract with UAC in 2029-2032

VLADIVOSTOK. Sept 7 (Interfax) - Aeroflot expects delivery of 90 MC-21 aircraft under the second firm contract with PJSC United Aircraft Corporation (UAC, part of Rostec) in 2029-2032, the company's CEO Sergei Alexandrovsky said.

"Under the second contract for 90 MC-21s in one go, all terms regarding leasing, delivery and full maintenance have been agreed upon. I hope we will sign the contract with UAC in the near future. Deliveries start from 2029, the schedule has been agreed. We plan to receive them by the end of 2032," Alexandrovsky told journalists at the Eastern Economic Forum.

Speaking about the first contract for 18 MC-21s, which was concluded with the leasing company AviaCapital-Service in 2023, Alexandrovsky said that delivery of the first eight aircraft is expected in Q4 2027, and the remaining ten in 2028. The deadlines are fixed in the contract.

"The key difference of the new contract from the previous one is in its structure. It contains many innovations for the Russian and international market. This is one of the largest contracts taking into account full maintenance, which should ensure the most efficient use from the very start of operation," he said, explaining that maintenance of the MC-21 will be assigned to UAC.

Aeroflot will begin training pilots, flight attendants and engineers for the MC-21 in 2027, Alexandrovsky said. "There are already selected pilots, we chose the best of the best," he said. Immediately after receipt, the new aircraft will be deployed on short routes such as Moscow - St. Petersburg and Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod, "where backup can be quickly performed and where a high level of technical support is established," he said.

Completion of certification flights and the start of serial production of the MC-21-310 are scheduled for 2027, the head of Rostec, Sergei Chemezov, previously said.