St. Petersburg: India, Bangladesh and Hungary have shown interest in buying Russia’s newly-unveiled MC-21 short-and mid-range passenger aircraft, a top company official said on Thursday.
Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) had carried out the first flight testing of a twin-engine airliner with a capacity of 150-212 passengers on Sunday in the eastern Siberian city of Irkutsk.
Hungary, India and Bangladesh have shown interest in acquisition of MC-21 passenger jets, UAC president Yuri Slyusar told reporters at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
“We showed the aircraft [MC-21] in flight and we feel higher interest. We met delegations from different nations: Hungary, Bangladesh and India. The flying aircraft is a much more sensible product from the standpoint of promotion,” the top UAC executive said.
The portfolio of orders for MC-21 amounts to 285 aircraft to date, with firm (pre-paid) contracts awarded for 185 jets, Tass news agency quoted him as saying.
The UAC hopes to obtain the certificate of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for its MC-21 jet in 2020, Slyusar said. “We will obtain the certificate of the Interstate Aviation Committee in 2019,” Slyusar said. “European certification will take place in 2020.”
According to Russian media and experts, the creation of MC-21 is one of the key milestones, achieved by Russia’s civil aircraft construction industry in the 21st century. Russian authorities hope the MC-21 revive the country’s civil aviation industry and challenge Western giants Airbus and Boeing.