Aeroflot has signed a contract covering 90 Russian-built MC-21 aircraft, including 22 years of technical support, maintenance services, training, and maintenance software.
The agreement was signed with United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), Aviakapital-Service, and United Engine Corporation (UEC). The aircraft are scheduled for delivery between 2029 and 2032.
The contract covers the aircraft, flight simulators, flight crew training, and after-sales support. It also defines responsibilities for aircraft delivery, leasing, technical support, and maintaining the aircraft’s serviceability and technical availability.
Aeroflot will become the launch operator for the MC-21. The airline said it will begin preparing pilots, cabin crew, and engineering personnel for the aircraft ahead of entry into service.
“This contract significantly determines the future of Russian aircraft manufacturing and civil aviation. This applies not only to aircraft production: together, we and our partners will build the most effective after-sales service system for Russian airliners. We eagerly await the arrival of the aircraft and are ready to begin training personnel for the new type—pilots, flight attendants, and engineers. Aeroflot is honored to be the launch operator of the MC-21. Throughout our 103-year history, our airline has been deploying the latest domestic aircraft, and we proudly continue this proud tradition in the years to come. Our passengers will be the first to appreciate the comfort and reliability of the Russian airliner,” said Aeroflot CEO Sergey Alexandrovsky.
The new agreement follows a 2023 contract under which Aeroflot is due to receive its first 18 MC-21 aircraft in 2027 and 2028. The latest contract brings the total number of MC-21 aircraft covered by the two agreements to 108.
Technical support for all 108 aircraft will run for 22 years from their respective delivery dates. The support package includes aircraft maintenance, repairs, technical personnel training, maintenance software, and other after-sales services.
The contract also includes full-flight and procedural simulators for crew training. This will support the development of pilot and engineering capabilities as the MC-21 enters commercial service.
The MC-21 is a medium-haul aircraft powered by PD-14 engines and designed to carry up to 211 passengers. Following the withdrawal of Western suppliers after 2022, UAC and its partners replaced around 80 foreign systems and components with domestically developed alternatives, including the aircraft’s engines.
“No country in the world today produces civilian aircraft on its own. American and European manufacturers work in cooperation with foreign suppliers. Only four countries, not counting Russia, produce aircraft engines. Our country, thanks to the support of the president and government, was able to do everything ourselves in record time. At the same time, contracts that clearly define delivery terms—the number of aircraft, the deadline, and the price—are important for the industry. After all, producing a passenger airliner is a lengthy and expensive process, taking between eighteen months and two years. The contract with Aeroflot ensures a clear workload for years to come and creates the foundation for a systematic expansion of serial production,” commented Sergey Chemezov, CEO of Rostec State Corporation.
For the MRO sector, the agreement establishes a long-term support requirement covering airframe maintenance, repairs, engineering support, software and technical training for a growing fleet of domestically produced aircraft.
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“We will build a strategic partnership with our key operator aimed at comprehensively ensuring the efficient entry into service of the new aircraft—not just the aircraft itself, but also after-sales service, repairs, and personnel training. I am confident that through our joint efforts, we will make the MC-21 a true flagship of Russian civil aviation,” noted Vadim Badekha, CEO of PJSC UAC.
The first aircraft under the new contract is scheduled for delivery in 2029, with the wider 108-aircraft fleet to be supported through the subsequent 22-year period.
