For the first time, the Russian airliner MC-21-300 landed at the Irkutsk International Airport
The newest Russian airliner visited the Irkutsk airport (IKT) for the first time. The first training flight within the framework of certified control tests under normal conditions of the civil airport MS-21-300 was successful. The Russian airliner took off from Zhukovsky airport (ZIA) and, have covered more than 4,000 km, landed in Irkutsk on December 15 at 19:30 local time.
During control tests in the air harbor of Priangarye, the crew of the MC-21-300 tested the reliability of the engines, functional systems and equipment of the standard-design airliner in the conditions of further operation.
During the arrival and departure of the aircraft, the staff of the Irkutsk airport have provided fully technical assistance to the ground handling personnel. Experts examined the aircraft for external damage and towed the aircraft to the parking slot.
The MC-21 is considered a new generation medium-range narrow-body passenger aircraft aimed at the most massive segment of the world airliner market. The aircraft has several modifications. The earlier version of the aircraft, MS-21-310, was assembled at the Irkutsk aircraft plant. The main difference is the domestic made turbofan engines PD-14. The first flight of an aircraft of this modification took place in 2020.
By the end of 2021, it is planned to obtain a Russian aircraft type certification for the MS-21. But serial production has already begun. The first six aircraft are to be handed over to the launching customer, Rossiya Airlines, a subsidiary of Aeroflot Group, in 2022. Four of them are currently in the final assembly line at the Irkutsk Aviation Plant.