Aeroflot Places Order for 90 MC-21-310 Aircraft

Aeroflot has signed a contract with state corporation Rostec for the supply and maintenance of 90 MC-21-310 aircraft, the largest order in the history of Russian civil aviation. Deliveries are scheduled from 2029 through 2032, with the agreement covering flight simulators, crew training, and technical support for 22 years.

The contract was signed on September 18, 2026, in Moscow, with President Vladimir Putin participating via video link. The agreement involves three Rostec subsidiaries: United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) as the aircraft supplier, Aviacapital-Service as the lessor, and United Engine Corporation (UEC) as a technical support co-executor.

Under the new contract, Aeroflot will receive 14 aircraft in 2029, 18 in 2030, 24 in 2031, and 34 in 2032. The order adds to an existing firm commitment for 18 MC-21 aircraft agreed in 2023, which are expected for delivery between 2027 and 2028. Together, the two contracts bring Aeroflot’s total MC-21 fleet commitment to 108 aircraft.

The contract encompasses more than aircraft supply. It includes full-flight and procedural simulators, pilot and cabin crew training, technical personnel preparation, specialized maintenance software, and 22 years of aftermarket support. The document divides responsibilities among the parties: the airline will maximize commercial flight hours, while suppliers guarantee technical availability throughout the aircraft’s service life.

“This contract largely determines the future of aircraft manufacturing and Russian civil aviation,” said Sergey Alexandrovsky, CEO of Aeroflot. “We are already ready to start training personnel on the new type, including pilots, cabin crew, and engineers”.

The MC-21-310 is the Russian-engine version of the MC-21 family, equipped with PD-14 engines and approximately 80 domestically developed systems and components introduced after Western suppliers withdrew following sanctions imposed in 2022. The aircraft is designed for short- and medium-haul routes with planned seating configurations for 150, 180, and 210 passengers, and a range of up to 6,000 kilometers.

Certification of the fully “Russified” variant is expected next year, according to statements made during the signing ceremony. The first MC-21 prototype originally flew in 2017 with Pratt & Whitney engines; the PD-14-powered version first flew in late 2020.

Aeroflot intends to deploy the first MC-21-310 aircraft on high-frequency domestic routes where technical support can be efficiently provided, including Moscow–St. Petersburg and potential services to Kazan and Nizhny Novgorod. Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov confirmed that production is underway, with 17 aircraft currently in various stages of manufacturing at the Irkutsk Aviation Plant and the first completed airframe already transferred to Zhukovsky for testing.

The signing ceremony coincided with the opening of new airport terminals and upgraded aerodrome infrastructure across several Russian regions, underscoring the government’s broader push to modernize domestic civil aviation capacity.