According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Putin called Irkut Corporation President and Chief Designer of Yakovlev Design Bureau Oleg Demchenko and congratulated him, as well as the team of the enterprise and all employees of the industry on this significant event.
The overall volume of sales of Russia's new MC-21 passenger plane is expected to amount to 1,000 pieces till 2037, Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said Sunday.
"The fulfillment of the declared technical and economic characteristics, the creation of an effective modern system of integrated logistic support and after-sales service, and the formation of profitable financial sales models will allow the total volume of MC-21 deliveries to exceed 1,000 pieces in the period until 2037," Manturov was quoted as saying in the ministry's press release.
The project will continue to receive systematic support for the promotion on potential markets, Manturov added.
Manufacturers
According to Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), the duration of the first MC-21 flight was 30 minutes at the altitude of 3,280 feet and at the speed of 186 miles per hour.
"The flight plan included checking of in-flight stability and controllability, and also the controllability of the power plant. According to the program, during the flight a simulated landing approach was performed, followed by a flight over the runway, climbing and turning. This technique is typical for the maiden flight of new types of aircraft," the UAC said in a press release.
UAC President Yuri Slyusar said that the MC-21 aircraft was created in wide and active cooperation of Irkut with other UAC enterprises.
"This is an important stage in the formation of the new UAC industrial model. According to our estimates, the global demand in the MC-21 segment will be about 15,000 new aircraft in the next 20 years. I'm sure the airlines will appreciate our new aircraft," Slyusar said as quoted in the UAC press release.
High Export Potential
Russia's state corporation Rostec, which is the integrator of numerous systems of the aircraft, considers that the export potential of MC-21 is big.
"We have become the first and the largest customer to procure MC-21 aircraft, and we have signed a firm contract on 85 planes. Our subsidiary Aviacapital-Service has already signed an agreement to purchase 50 MC-21 aircraft for Aeroflot. Moreover, we consider that the export potential of the new jet is great, primarily among dynamically developing aviation markets — Southeast Asia, Latin America, India, the Middle East," Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov said.
According to Chemezov, the creation of MC-21 is one of the key milestones, achieved by Russia's civil aircraft construction industry in the 21st century.
Russia's state development bank Vnesheconombank (VEB) Chairman Sergei Gorkov said Sunday that the bank had invested $90 million in the creation of the first copy of the MC-21 aircraft.
"Part of this money will serve as the prepayment for the next planes," Gorkov said in a press release published on VEB's website.
According to Gorkov, VEB's subsidiary VEB-leasing has ordered 30 MC-21 planes.
