MOSCOW, August 3. /TASS/. The first serial-produced MC-21 passenger airliner built fully with import-substituted components has completed its maiden flight, the Russian Industry and Trade Ministry reported.

"The maiden flight of the fully import-substituted serial MC-21 is a major milestone in the development of our domestic mainline passenger aircraft program. It demonstrates that the Russian aviation industry possesses all the necessary expertise to solve complex technological challenges using domestic systems and assemblies. To date, roughly half of the certification flight test program has been completed. Once certification is finalized, deliveries of serial aircraft to operators will begin," Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Gennady Abramenkov was quoted as saying.

The aircraft was piloted by a crew of experienced test pilots, including Hero of Russia Roman Taskayev, Sergey Mikhailyuk, and Andrey Voropaev, along with test engineer Nikolay Fonurin.

The flight lasted 1 hour and 23 minutes, reaching altitudes of up to 6,000 meters. During the flight, the aircraft's stability and controllability in various configurations, as well as the performance of its domestic systems, were tested. Taskayev reported after the flight that the first production aircraft had performed well and the flight mission was fully completed.

"Today, the Irkutsk Aviation Plant team confirmed its readiness to manufacture the first batch of 18 MC-21s and begin work on subsequent orders, decisions on which were made last week by the Russian government on the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin," Vadim Badekha, CEO of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC, part of Rostec), said.

MC-21 Chief Designer Vitaly Naryshkin noted that, in parallel with the certification flight test schedule, key procedures for the final stages of production and testing at the flight-test facility had already been streamlined. This will ultimately minimize the time between certification and the start of serial deliveries of the MC-21.

The MC-21 is a domestically developed short-and medium-range passenger aircraft designed to replace the Tu-154 and the Tu-204 family on the Russian market. It will also serve as an alternative to foreign-made aircraft.