The head of “Rostec” announced the postponement of the deadlines for serial deliveries of MS-21

The head of Rostec state corporation Sergey Chemezov announced another postponement of the start of serial deliveries of the new Russian MS-21 passenger aircraft. The deadlines have been moved to 2025-2026.

Chemezov told journalists about this before the annual message of President Vladimir Putin to the Federal Assembly. The general director of “Rostec” noted that the tests of the aircraft have not yet been completed.

“Aeroflot” expected the first six machines at the end of 2024, writes RBC.

MS-21 is a family of medium-haul passenger aircraft created by Rostec. At the end of 2021, the aircraft received a basic type certificate in Rosaviatsia, however, then it was about the use of foreign engines and imported raw materials for the wing. After the introduction of sanctions for the war in Ukraine in 2022, the deadlines for the delivery of new Russian aircraft have been postponed.

On Thursday, in a message to the parliament, Putin said that by 2030, the intensity of air traffic in Russia should increase by one and a half times to the level of last year. “The fleet of airlines will be renewed at the expense of domestic aircraft. They bought too much abroad, but did not develop their own,” Putin noted.

• Sanctions that the West imposed against the Russian aviation industry after the large-scale invasion of Ukraine include a ban on the supply of aircraft to Russia, as well as a ban on flights of Russian aircraft to countries that have imposed sanctions. Insurance certificates were also revoked, and the planes that were leased were required to be returned by Russian airlines, which they did not do.
• In 2023, at least 180 incidents related to malfunctions and breakdowns of aircraft of local airlines were registered in Russia. This is exactly three times more than for the whole of 2022.