Russian passenger airplane MC-21 makes its successful maiden flight to replace Tu series airplanes
Monitoring Desk: Competing with the Airbus and Boeing, Russian made MC-21 with capacity of 170 persons onboard made its successful maiden flight in Irkutsk on May 28, 2017, reports Russian media.
The MC-21- 300 is a Russian single-aisle twinjet airliner, developed by the Yakovlev Design Bureau Russia and powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1000G and Aviadvigatel PD-14 turbofans engines.
Russia media indicated that MC-21 would replace Tu-134, Tu-154, Tu-204 and Yak-40 by 2018 for long distance flights with a capacity of 132-163 passengers.
Russians claim that МС‑21 (Магистральный Самолёт 21 века) will be a mainline aircraft of the 21st century.
Experts believe that MC-21 is 25% more efficient than the Airbus and Boeing with 15% lower weight, 20% lower operating costs and 15% lower fuel consumption.
It may be mentioned that MC-21 program was launched in 2007 and it took 10 years to Russian engineers to convert design into reality.
Russia media reports that arrangement to retire Tu series airplane by 2020 and replacing fleet with airplanes of new technology is top priority of Russian civil aviation authorities. MC-21 airplane would save over 3 billion$ of Russian economy while changing Tu series aircrafts.
