During the construction of the second flight MC-21-300, the results of the flight tests of the first experimental aircraft were taken into account. The flight program included testing the aircraft for stability and controllability for various wing configurations, with the retraction of the landing gear and testing the on-board equipment performance as well. The duration of the flight was 1 hour 7 minutes, it was held at an altitude of 3000 meters at a speed of up to 400 km / h. The aircraft was piloted by a crew of test pilots Vasily Sevastyanov and Andrei Voropayev. According to Vasily Sevastyanov, the flight task was completed in full, the flight was in normal mode.

The first MC-21-300 aircraft took off on May 28, 2017 in Irkutsk. After the test flights, it flew to Zhukovsky (Moscow region). There, on the basis of the Flight Test and lapidary complex of the development bureau named by A.S. Yakovlev (a part of the Irkut Corporation), flight tests are in progress. The results of the tests confirm the correctness of the technical solutions. In particular, the aircraft has been tested for stability and controllability, its take-off and landing characteristics have been determined, various operating modes of the power plant have been tested, including the launch of the engine in flight, and the characteristics of the aircraft's departure from deep debris by roll. The achieved results: speed - 860 km / h, altitude - over 12 000 m, range - 4 500 km, flight duration - 6 hours 12 minutes.

The head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation said that from now on, three MC-21-300 aircraft take part in the test program: two of them are going through the flight tests, one passes static tests at Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute. Let us recall that on December 6, 2017 in Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute, an important stage of static testing of the composite wing caisson was successfully completed - the required safety factor of the structure for performing flights on the limiting regimes was experimentally confirmed.

Thus, the tests confirmed the correctness of the technical solutions adopted in the design of the composite wing design. In January 2018, the wing console of the MC-21 aircraft was delivered to Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute for testing the elements of mechanisation for fatigue and vitality. Tests of composite machines of mechanisation confirmed their strength at the maximum possible loads in the most aggressive operating conditions.

To carry out tests in the flight test and refuelling complex at development bureau named by AS Yakovlev (part of the Irkut corporation, based on the airfield of the Gromov Flight Research Institute), a new hangar for the basing of MC-21 aircraft with ground support facilities and a flight data collection, processing and analysis complex information. The tests involve a set of telemetric equipment that provides control of the tests in real time. The test complex is connected to the information exchange system uniting the main participants of the MC-21 program. Now three more experimental aircraft are being built at the Irkutsk Aviation Plant: the third flight aircraft (at the stage of final assembly), the fourth flight aircraft (manufacturing of parts and assembling the fuselage compartments), the aircraft for resource testing (fabrication of fuselage components).
 

In parallel with the flight and static tests, the Irkutsk Aviation Plant is actively preparing for the launch of the serial production of a new airliner: new stations of the final assembly line are being built, a logistics center and a new hangar for serial aircraft are being built. Moreover, the president of PJSC UAC and Irkut Corporation Yuri Slusar said that at one of the enterprises of the corporation Aviastar-SP, which is participating in the production of the MC-21 aircraft, has already begun production of fuselage panels for the first production aircraft, which will be delivered to customers.

MC-21-300 - medium-haul aircraft with a capacity of 163-211 seats. The aircraft is created using the most advanced technologies of modern aircraft construction: advanced aerodynamics, more than 30% of the aircraft's construction is made of both composite materials (including the "black wing"), all on-board systems of the latest generation. According to the developers, MC-21 will provide a 5-7% reduction in operating costs for the best narrow-bodied aircraft. The aircraft will provide passengers with a better level of comfort due to the wider fuselage width of their class. Customers to choose from will be provided with engines from two manufacturers: Pratt & Whitney PW1400G-JM or PD-14 by United Engine Corporation. The production program of the MC-21 provides for the release of about 1,000 aircraft.

"In recent years, the enterprises of the aviation industry of Russia have undergone a profound modernisation. At the Irkutsk Aviation Plant, the most modern scalable assembly line for the newest civilian airliners was commissioned. Within the UAC, fundamentally new competencies have been developed in the field of development and production of structures from polymer composite materials. Their widespread use is one of the main advantages of the aircraft. The new high-tech production will ensure the development of the MC-21 program and other promising aviation projects, " - Yuri Slusar emphasised.

To date, the order book of the MC-21 is: the number of firm orders for which advance payments were received - 175 aircraft, according to agreements of intent - about 150. The largest customer was Aeroflot-Russian Airlines, which on February 1, 2018 entered into a contract with the leasing company "Aviakapital-Service" (as part of the state corporation Rosteс) for operational leasing of 50 MC-21-300 aircraft with a delivery period of 2020-2026 and a lease period of 12 years with the possibility of extension. The layout of the delivered aircraft: 16 business class seats and 153 - economy class.

Also, the airline "Aeroflot - Russian Airlines" and the Irkut Corporation are creating a joint training center for training flight and engineering personnel of MC-21 aircraft. The training center will be equipped with 8 simulators, including an integrated simulator with a mobility system (FFS Level D). According to the schedule of certification flight tests of the MC-21-300 aircraft, the planned date for obtaining the Russian Type Certificate is 2019, and the Certificate of the EASA-2020 type. At the same time, the first serial aircraft will be delivered to customers.