The medium-haul MC-21-310 aircraft, scheduled for release in 2026, will not be ready on schedule. According to Oleg Panteleev, executive director of the Aviaport agency, certification and delivery of the aircraft have been pushed back to 2027.

According to the expert, the main challenges currently lie not with the airframe or powerplant, but with the aircraft's import-substituting onboard systems. Panteleev clarified that the PD-14 engine was certified back in 2018, but not all other systems were quickly developed and prepared for certification, which is what caused the delay. Furthermore, the MS-21 still needs to complete a significant number of test flights.

Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov previously announced that serial production of the MS-21-310 would begin in 2027. State testing in February 2026 confirmed the vehicle's compliance with the stated specifications.

In April 2025, Aeroflot signed a firm contract for the delivery of 339 Russian-made aircraft, including 210 MC-21-310s. By comparison, in 2024, there were delays in certifying the wing made of Russian composites, but this issue was resolved by the spring of 2026. According to analysts' estimates, a total of 108 aircraft are planned for production by 2029, including six in 2027, which will require 20 high-speed aircraft to test the serial production technology.

The MC-21's main foreign competitors in the global market are the American Boeing 737 MAX and the European Airbus A320neo. The airliner seats 163 to 211 passengers and is designed for a range of up to 6 kilometers. Its key advantage is its fuselage cross-section (4,7 meters), the widest in its narrow-body class, making the cabin more spacious, and its composite wing, which improves aerodynamics.