Russia’s aviation industry is facing a severe crisis: Western sanctions and high interest rates have cut off access to spare parts, maintenance, and certifications, forcing airlines and repair facilities to operate at their limits — in some cases with fatal consequences. In response, Moscow is pursuing a full import substitution strategy to develop civilian aircraft entirely independent of Western manufacturers.
As part of that plan, two test flights have already been conducted with aircraft assembled entirely from Russian-made components, marking an effort to rebuild the nation’s aerospace chain and shield it from further restrictions. On Tuesday, a second prototype of the MC-21 medium-range passenger jet took off from the Irkutsk aircraft plant, a model envisioned by Russia as the domestic replacement for Airbus and Boeing fleets.
The test evaluated newly developed onboard systems and the locally produced PD-14 turbofan engines — a technological cornerstone of the program. The aircraft is designed to seat around 175 passengers and serve regional routes without compromising safety or efficiency. Yet the real challenge lies in scaling production, standardizing suppliers, and maintaining post-sale support under a strained financial environment. Bottlenecks remain.
Due to sanctions and rising borrowing costs, only one of the 15 aircraft planned for this year had been delivered by August. The first “fully Russian” versions turned out heavier, with shorter range and higher fuel consumption, dampening airline interest and forcing repeated schedule revisions.
The first MC-21 deliveries are now projected for late 2026, with annual output expected to reach 36 units by 2030. The key question is whether engineering and production capacity can stabilize a civil fleet that continues to operate between urgency and resilience.
