The MC-21-310 is a Russian medium-range passenger airliner developed and manufactured at the Irkutsk Aviation Plant (a branch of PJSC Yakovlev, part of the United Aircraft Corporation under the Rostec state corporation). This modification is equipped with PD-14 engines developed domestically by ODK and represents a fully import-substituted version of the aircraft. The MC-21 has the widest fuselage in the medium-range aircraft class — 4.06 m — providing passengers with comfort comparable to the latest generation wide-body aircraft.[1] On 3 August 2026, the first production MC-21-310 completed its maiden flight.[2]

Maiden flight of the production aircraft

The first production MC-21-310 took to the air from the airfield of the Irkutsk Aviation Plant on 3 August 2026. The flight lasted 1 hour 23 minutes; maximum altitude reached 6,000 metres and indicated airspeed was up to 600 km/h. During the test flight, the aircraft's stability and controllability in various configurations were evaluated, as were the functioning of Russian onboard systems.[3]

The crew was led by Honored Test Pilot and Hero of Russia Roman Taskaev; test pilots Sergey Mikhaylyuk and Andrey Voropayev, as well as flight test engineer Nikolay Fonurin, also took part. According to the aircraft commander, the first production aircraft "performed well, and the flight plan was completed in full."[4]

Based on the results of flight tests, the officially confirmed range of the MC-21-310 was 3,800 kilometres — nearly half the originally stated 6,350 km: in the course of import substitution the aircraft gained 6 tonnes in weight, which affected its performance.[7]

Certification and series production

By the time of the maiden flight, the aircraft had completed more than half of the certification flight test programme. Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Gennady Abramenkov described the event as an important milestone in the programme to create a domestically produced mainline passenger aircraft, and confirmed that serial deliveries to operators would begin upon completion of certification. The successful flight, in Rostec's assessment, demonstrates that the production supply chains are ready for serial output, including the first batch of 18 aircraft.[2] Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Anton Alikhanov announced on 24 June 2026 that the MC-21 would receive its type certificate at the end of 2027.[7] Prime Minister of Russia Mikhail Mishustin signed a decree under which the first batch of 18 aircraft is valued at 96.1 billion rubles (5.3 billion rubles per aircraft) — compared with 58.3 billion rubles for an equivalent batch under the 2023 estimate.[7] Of the 18 aircraft in the first batch, 16 are to be delivered into service in 2027, with the remaining two to follow in January 2028.[7] MC-21 Chief Designer Vitaly Naryshkin noted that the parallel working-through of key procedures in the final production stages and the passage through the flight test station would allow the time between type certification and the start of serial deliveries to be reduced to a minimum.[7]

Participation of Nizhny Novgorod enterprises

Sokol Aircraft Manufacturing Plant" has been included in the cooperation for serial production of the MC-21: the plant has completed assembly of the first ventral fin fairing (VFF) and is preparing for full localization of this component at its production facility; prior to the start of assembly work, a dedicated area was fitted out in the assembly shop, fully equipped with the necessary fixtures and tools to carry out all operations for manufacturing the ventral fin fairing.[3] Other Nizhny Novgorod enterprises also participate in the MC-21 programme's production cooperation: Gidromash named after V.I. Luzyanin, the Ruspolimet metallurgical plant, and the scientific and production enterprise Polyot.[3]

Nizhny Novgorod Aviation Plant "Sokol" is in 2026 preparing for full localization of ventral fin fairing production at its facility;[3][5] in cooperation with other enterprises, the plant is organizing parallel production of ventral fin fairings at facilities in Ulyanovsk as well, and after the airliner's certification expects to produce up to 24 ventral fin fairings per year. Other Nizhny Novgorod enterprises also participate in the MC-21 programme's production cooperation: Gidromash, Ruspolimet, and Polyot Research and Production Enterprise.[3][6]

Links

Sources

  1. NN.RU — Based on the results of flight tests, the officially confirmed range of the MC-21-310 was 3,800 kilometres — nearly half the originally stated 6,350 km:
  1. Wikipedia (ru) — MC-21 — The MC-21 has the widest fuselage in the medium-range aircraft class — 4.06 m, providing passengers with comfort comparable to wide-body… (archive)
  2. aif.ru — First production MC-21 completes successful flight (archive)
  3. Vzglyad-NN — First production import-substituted MC-21-310 completes maiden flight
  4. aif.ru — Footage published of the import-substituted MC-21 aircraft's maiden flight (archive)
  5. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — Nizhny Novgorod's "Sokol" begins assembly of the first ventral fin fairing for the MC-21-310. Nizhny Novgorod news — At the Sokol plant, ahead of the start of assembly work in the assembly shop… (archive)
  6. V gorode N — Sokol plant begins assembly of ventral fin fairing for MC-21-310 in Nizhny Novgorod — In cooperation with other enterprises, Sokol is organizing parallel production of ventral fin fairings… (archive)