Russian aircraft manufacturer Irkut announced here yesterday that its MS-21 family of short- and medium-range twin-engine passenger jets (MS-21-200, -300 and -400) has now recorded orders for 235 airplanes. Among the customers are Russia-based Aeroflot, Ilyushin Finance and Rostechknologii, as well as Malaysia’s Crecom. Kirill Budaev, Irkut vice president, sales and marketing, said the aircraft is on schedule for its maiden flight in 2014, with European certification and first customer deliveries expected in 2017.
The MS-21 will compete with the new Airbus A320neo and Boeing’s 737 MAX, both using next-generation engines on their legacy airframes, but Irkut says its clean-sheet design will offer superior economy in purchase and operating costs over both aircraft. “A clean-sheet design is [what is needed] for competitiveness,” Budaev said. “You’re not able to achieve that where you just improve a program that is 50 years old.”
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