Aeroflot named routes for the first MC-21

Aeroflot plans to deliver the first MC-21 aircraft on short routes, including from Moscow to St. Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod. Sergey Alexandrovsky, CEO of the airline, told reporters about this at a briefing.

According to him, the aircraft will be used where it is possible to quickly make reservations and where technical support is set up at a high level. However, he did not rule out the appearance of other short routes.

Aeroflot expects to receive the first eight MC-21s in the fourth quarter of 2027, and another 10 in 2028. The training of pilots, flight attendants and engineers for the new type of aircraft will begin in 2027. According to Alexandrovsky, the pilots have already been selected — the "best of the best" were chosen during the selection process.

At the same time, Aeroflot is preparing to sign a contract with UAC for another 90 MC-21s. All conditions for leasing, delivery and full maintenance have been agreed. Deliveries under this contract are scheduled to begin in 2029, and are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2032.

Alexandrovsky noted that the new contract differs from the previous one in structure and contains "many innovations" for the Russian and international markets. According to him, this is one of the largest contracts, taking into account full maintenance, which should ensure the most efficient use of aircraft from the very beginning of operation. Maintenance under the contract will be assigned to the UAC, he added.

Durable contribution: laser strikes will extend the life of aircraft engines

The development will protect aircraft parts from dust, sand and birds.

On June 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin, taking part in a meeting on the development of domestic aviation, drew attention to the high level of new domestic airliners of the MC-21, SSJ-100 and IL-114 models. He personally inspected the vessels, as a result of which he stated that their implementation would allow the country to further strengthen its sovereignty.