Page 89 - bne IntelliNews Russia Country report May 2017

30-minute test flight the same day. The Irkut MC-21 is a single-aisle twinjet airliner developed by Russia's Yakovlev Design Bureau and produced by Irkut, both of which are grouped within United Aircraft Corporation. The single-aisle twinjet aircraft intended to replace the workhorse Tupolev Tu-134 and Tu-154 series aircraft and their Western rivals. According to Manturov, by using the Russian aircraft, airlines may cut by 12-15% of their operation costs against other planes of similar classes, or by 6-7% when compared with their modernised versions. Only one other Russian airliner, the regional Sukhoi Superjet 100, has been manufactured from scratch in the post-Soviet period. The MC-21 has a flight range of 6,400 kilometres, comparted with the 4,578 kilometres of the Superjet 100. The MC-21 will be able to carry 211 passengers, while the Superjet seats 108. Earlier this month, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said that 185 pre-paid orders for the MC-21 have already been placed. Aeroflot, Russia's flagship airline, was the first customer for the plane and is expected to have 50 MC-21s in its fleet. The first three airliners are expected to be delivered to Aeroflot in 2019. According to Vedomosti , at least 900 units have to be manufactured to make the project profitable. Each costs up to around $90mn, according to some reports. Despite Manturov's figure of 1,000 sales by 2037, Yuri Slyusar, CEO of United Aircraft Corporation, said global demand for MC-21 planes in the next 20 years is expected to reach as much as 15,000 new aircraft.
89 RUSSIA Country Report May 2017 www.intellinews.com