September marked a shift towards more defined production planning for Russia’s MC-21 narrowbody programme. Aeroflot signed a contract for 90 MC-21-310 aircraft, bringing its contracted total to 108, while the Irkutsk Aviation Plant (IAP) confirmed that its production schedule was fully committed through 2032. The manufacturer is preparing to increase output to 36 aircraft annually, expand its workforce and introduce new capabilities for aircraft painting and cabin installation.
Aeroflot becomes the programme’s anchor customer
The September agreement covers 90 MC-21 aircraft, in addition to 18 contracted in 2023. The first deliveries under the original 18-aircraft contract are scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2027. Aeroflot expects to receive eight aircraft under this initial agreement.
Aeroflot Group chief executive Sergei Aleksandrovsky said the aircraft would be distributed between Aeroflot and Rossiya Airlines. The allocation has yet to be finalised. Pobeda, the group’s low-cost carrier, will retain a single-type fleet.
Earlier in September, Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov identified Aeroflot as the MC-21’s anchor customer. Negotiations with other Russian airlines are also under way, although deliveries to these operators are not expected before 2030. Alikhanov said the aircraft had completed approximately half of its certification flight-test programme at that point.
Production capacity and supply-chain expansion
Following the contract for 90 additional aircraft, the Irkutsk Aviation Plant’s production schedule is fully committed through the end of 2032. IAP general director Andrei Soynov said the company was exploring export opportunities, but agreements for overseas deliveries could only be concluded beyond the current planning horizon.
The plant aims to reduce its aircraft assembly cycle from 40 calendar days to 10 days, corresponding to an annual production rate of 36 aircraft. It does not currently plan to exceed this output.
Achieving the target will require continued investment in production equipment, particularly for machining, blank preparation and stamping. IAP expects to complete most of the remaining investment programme between 2027 and 2029.
The new production programme for Aeroflot’s 90 aircraft begins with the 19th production MC-21. Nikolai Bondarev, IAP’s chief specialist for production-system development, said the plant had already begun purchasing metal for the batch. Eighteen production aircraft, numbered from the 14th to the 32nd in the manufacturing sequence, are at various stages of assembly. All are being built in the import-substituted configuration.
The supply chain is generally running ahead of final assembly. Wing consoles have been delivered to Irkutsk for aircraft up to number 24, while the 25th set has been manufactured and is being stored in Ulyanovsk. Wing panels have been delivered for the 31st set. United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) enterprises are supplying components for aircraft in the 30-series, while suppliers of purchased equipment are providing kits for aircraft in the 20-series.
Suppliers will need to expand their own production capacity to meet the new contract. IAP is also transitioning its supply chain towards regular just-in-time deliveries to support a more consistent flow-production system.
First flight planned for the second production aircraft
The second production MC-21-310, manufacturer’s serial number MC.0015, intended for Aeroflot, underwent ground testing at IAP’s flight-test station in September.
Engineers are checking the aircraft’s onboard, fuel and electronic systems. Ground engine runs with the PD-14 turbofans cover a range of operating conditions, including maximum power settings. The aircraft’s first flight is scheduled for late October.
By the end of 2026, the first four aircraft under the original 18-aircraft contract are expected to have reached the flight-test station. Following completion of the required certification procedures and documentation, they will be eligible for delivery to the customer.
Government support for airline entry into service
The Russian government has prepared support measures for airlines operating the MC-21. According to Alikhanov, the objective is to provide operators with economic conditions and aircraft utilisation rates comparable to those achieved with the foreign-built aircraft currently in service. The support framework is also intended to account for potential early-service technical issues as the new aircraft enters commercial operation.
The state plans to compensate or subsidise airline borrowing costs associated with acquiring Russian-built aircraft. Initial advance payments could account for 25–30% of the purchase price. Approximately 18 months before delivery, the financing burden would then be assumed by the lessor, followed by refinancing.
The proposed approach is intended to bring MC-21 financing closer to arrangements previously used for the acquisition of foreign-built aircraft. For the programme, this represents an effort to establish a financing structure alongside the industrial capacity needed to introduce the aircraft into commercial service.
Shorter MC-21-210 enters production preparation
The Irkutsk Aviation Plant has begun manufacturing parts for the MC-21-210, a shortened derivative of the baseline aircraft. The programme calls for the prototype to make its first flight in August 2028.
The MC-21-210 will have one fewer F4A fuselage section and a lower passenger capacity than the baseline MC-21. Following flight testing and certification, the variant is intended to use the same flow-production line as the standard aircraft.
The prototype is scheduled to be the 11th aircraft in IAP’s 2028 production programme. The plant also plans to build ten production MC-21-310s that year. The overall production plan remains within the annual target of 36 aircraft.
Workforce expansion to support higher output
IAP plans to recruit 500 additional employees by the end of the first quarter of 2027. By the end of September, 173 new employees had joined the plant. Recruitment is aligned with the planned acceleration of assembly operations and the gradual increase in MC-21 output towards 36 aircraft annually.
The plant is recruiting graduates from the Irkutsk Aviation Engineering and Materials Processing Technical College, whose students undertake practical training at the facility. New employees without relevant technical qualifications receive training at IAP’s training and production centre.
The company is also developing recruitment pathways through local schools and Irkutsk National Research Technical University.
The average age of IAP employees is approximately 40. The planned workforce expansion is intended to provide the personnel needed to sustain a higher and more predictable production rate.
Aircraft painting and cabin installation move in-house
The Irkutsk Aviation Plant has begun developing its capability to paint civil aircraft. To establish the process, the plant has already repainted an An-24 operated by IrAero. In November, IAP plans to paint a prototype import-substituted SSJ100 using Russian-manufactured coatings.
Series production aircraft painting is scheduled to begin at IAP in early 2027. From the same year, the plant intends to install aircraft interiors directly on the assembly line and hand over completed aircraft to customers in Irkutsk.
A dedicated supply centre will be established to support this process. The arrangement is intended to shorten the supply chain between the manufacturer and the customer and speed up the resolution of issues identified during aircraft acceptance.
September flight-test activity
Four MC-21 prototypes participated in flight testing during September: aircraft 73051, 73054, 73055 and 73057. Together, they completed 28 flights totalling more than 107 hours. Not all flights were part of the certification programme.
Aircraft 73051 made one flight to evaluate domestically produced radio altimeters.
Aircraft 73054 conducted tests to assess altitude and airspeed measurement errors in the air data system following the introduction of new software. The work included flights over Russia’s northern regions from Syktyvkar Airport, as well as operational positioning flights on the Zhukovsky–Irkutsk–Zhukovsky route. The aircraft completed eight flights totalling more than 43 hours.
Aircraft 73055 carried out four flights totalling approximately 13 hours. The test programme covered the effects of static electricity, the flight management system (FMS) and VOR/DME/APK radio-navigation equipment.
Aircraft 73057 recorded the highest level of activity. On 16 September, it flew from Zhukovsky to Sheremetyevo for the ceremony marking the contract for 90 MC-21-310s for Aeroflot. It returned to Zhukovsky the following day.
The aircraft completed 15 flights in September, totalling approximately 48 hours. Tests covered the air-conditioning system and automatic cabin pressure regulation, fuel-system operation and aircraft-system responses to various failure conditions. The programme also included the baggage and cargo compartment fire-extinguishing system.
On the MC-21, the latter forms part of the integrated fire-protection system designated SPZ-MC-21, developed by St Petersburg-based Abris. Additional runway taxi tests assessed the automatic braking system.
Source: MC-21 Program: September 2026 monthly digest — Aviation of Russia.
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