Testing of second MC-21-300 airliner to begin in February or March.

Testing of the second Russian MC-21-300 airliner will start at the end of February or the beginning of March, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin wrote in Facebook.

"The first jet in the MC-21-300 family has already made 33 test flights and a second jet, the assembly of which is nearing completion at the Irkutsk aircraft factory [Irkut], will join the trial tests in at the end of February or in early March," Rogozin wrote.

"The Irkutsk factory is getting ready to streamline the manufacturing of the MC-21-300 jets, the newest Russian airliners, in 2019," he added.

The MC-21, a product of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation [UAC], of which Irkut is a subsidiary, is a medium-range commercial passenger carrier. It has two versions - MC-21-200 with the seating capacity of 132 to 165 passengers and MC-21-300 that will take from 163 to 211 passengers aboard.

The UAC is also mulling an MC-21-400 version that will have up to 250 seats.

The first MC-21-300 jet made a maiden flight at the end of May, 2017.

Irtkutsk region Governor Sergei Levchenko said at the end of last month the first MC-21 would be used by the regional airline IrAero.

"Irkut and Aeroflot [Russia’s national flag carrying airline - TASS] signed an agreement, under which Aeroflot should buy the first 50 MC-21’s," Levchenko said. "I received the schedule of manufacturing of the jets and the first one will remain in Irkutsk.".



Source:
http://tass.com/economy/984209