More Customers Surface for MC-21 as It Debuts at MAKS

The Russian-made narrowbody participates in the MAKS 2019 show’s flying displays.

(Left to right) Irkut general director Ravil Hakimov, general designer Oleg Domchenko, MC-21 chief designer Konstantin Popovich, MC-21 chief test pilot Roman Taskaev, and Irkut marketing chief Cyrill Budaev answer questions from reporters at MAKS 2019. (Photo: Gregory Polek)

By Gregory Polek • Senior Editor

August 28, 2019

As the MC-21 made its air show debut at Russia's recent MAKS 2019 trade show, United Aircraft Corporation introduced Russia’s Yakutia Airlines and BKR of Kazakhstan as previously unidentified customers for the new narrowbody. Now claiming orders for 175 copies of the jet, UAC has identified three airlines as operators, most notably launch customer Aeroflot, which has placed an order for 50. Yakutia has agreed to take five and BKR 10 of the airplanes.

The revelation of two more customers came as questions continued to plague UAC and MC-21 manufacturer Irkut over the threat of further U.S. sanctions, which have already forced the companies to source composite material for the airplane’s high-aspect-ratio wings from local suppliers. Meanwhile, the threat of more sanctions that could block further availability of the airplane’s Pratt & Whitney PW1400G engines has Irkut accelerating the development of a version powered with Russian-made Aviadvigatel PD-14s.

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